Suddenly Parents?
by NattiKay
Summary: [Old/Semi-outdated] Two unusual children are lost in the night when they stumble across the group. What's weird, though, it that they claim to be Inuyasha's kids! He denies it, but are they really? And more importantly, how did they get there? Revision complete!
1. The Lost Children

**Suddenly...Parents?**

The fire was dying slowly, only bits of glowing embers remaining in the once a-flame pile of hot sticks and twigs. A thin trail of smoke wafted lazily skywards into the dark night.

The unique group of people lay still and silent around the makeshift fire pit, catching some what sleep they could. In the forests of the Sengoku Jidai, it could be hard to find peace with its number of unseen demons prowled within ever corner.

This group of people was well-prepared for any attacks of said demons, however. The young woman with dark, loosely-pulled back hair, despite her kind and gentle appearance, was actually a demon slayer capable of handling a huge and very powerful boomerang known as the Hiraikotsu. The monk was skilled in his spells and incantations, and in addition to that, he had a very powerful kazaana—Wind Tunnel—in the palm of his right hand, kept sealed most of the time by a long chain of rosary, but when loosed, it could wreak the worst of havoc. A teenaged girl with black hair and a more modern outfit lay, the only one in a sleeping bag, cuddled up to a childlike kitsune. Though she seemed like your average high school student, she was actually the reincarnation of a famous and powerful priestess and possessed untamed spiritual abilities that could easily rival the monk's. Not to mention that she wasn't bad with enchanted arrows, either.

The kitsune kit sleeping snuggled in her arms was a demon himself, albeit a young one, as was the two-tailed, creamy kitten with sharp black marking contrasts who acted as the demon slayer's companion.

And of course, the young dog-eared man, who preferred sleeping up in a tree, was a hanyou. Only half demon he may be, but it was a very strong half, enough to give him the advantage on most of the lower-leveled youkai which slithered about the untamed forests.

And as it so happens, it was just that hanyou who was awake, watching the others silently, stilly with his burning golden glare. His long, silver hair cascaded down his deep red robe, hanging slightly off the branch. Strong arms were crossed in a somewhat relaxed manner in front of him, though the occasionally twitched as his ever-sensitive ears picked up new rustles and noises.

His body generally didn't need as much sleep as those of the humans and he often found himself sitting awake at times like this, keeping all his acute senses alert for possible danger. Very few times had anything dangerous actually approached over such a peaceful night, and besides, they weren't all that far from Kaede's village at the moment, but the hanyou considered himself to be the group's protector and would rather not take the chance. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something were to happen to the group because he had failed to keep watch. Not that he would admit that out loud or anything.

The hanyou sighed and cleared his mind, closing the golden eyes he had found drifting open as his thoughts had intensified.

He thought for a moment about his three human companions and even the kit, who kept up their sleeping pattern. It had been a long time since he'd slept as soundly as they do for as long as an entire night. Taking in another deep inhale, he leaned his back further into the rough bark. Just a few hours, near the village. He should at least try. The night seemed calm enough.

He sat there in silence for a few minutes, his sensitive ears being lulled by the nightly ambience of crickets and other small insects. But just as he was about to shift into a full sleep, a voice broke through that ambience.

The hanyou sat straight immediately. The voice had been quiet and distant, but still a distinctly human voice. Eyes wide, but staring at nothing, he concentrated, trying to make out what it was. Sure enough, the voice continued…no, wait, _voices_. Two distinct voices and they seemed to be getting closer. He listened hard to catch snippets of the conversation.

"…'s dark and I'm cold! Wanna go home!"

"…_trying!_ …trust…please?"

"…scared! …demons hunt…dark…"

As the voices neared, the hanyou realized with a jolt that these were not the voices of adults; they were _children, _and both very young, by the sound of it. The first was higher and less stable, speaking with a strong childlike lisp. The second was more developed, almost close to the kit's, but certainly not any age at which a child should be wandering the forest, human _or_ demon.

"We'll…home soon," the second voice was saying, though it seemed to waver nervously as if it wasn't quite sure whether or not it believed itself. The second just softly whined an incoherent response.

The hanyou just sat there in his tree in shock. Two little kids just wandering the forest at night…obviously lost, from the sound of their conversation. What should he do? Ignore them and leave it be? Try to go find them? Wake the others?

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou was jolted out of his thoughts by a much stronger voice sounding from just beneath his tree. He glanced down to see the black-haired girl sitting up in her night sack, staring up at him.

"I...idiot!" he stammered somewhat quietly. "What're you doing up, Kagome? You're the one always complaining that you're tired!"

Kagome shrugged the comment off, not feeling up to an argument so soon.

"I just woke up. Happens sometimes. Are you ok? You looked a little shell-shocked."

Inuyasha twitched an ear uncomfortably, mind racing for the right thing to say.

"I…erm…ah…it's nothing," he grumbled at last, trying to wave it off.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Positive?"

"You need me to come out of this tree and prove it to ya?"

"If you must."

The hanyou rolled his amber eyes and leapt down from the tree. He glared down at the girl, opening his mouth to make a snide comment. But before any sound escaped his lips, someone else spoke from behind.

"_Otou!_"

"Otou!"

Inuyasha barely had time to turn around when a weight had suddenly thrown itself onto his legs, causing his knees to buckle slightly. He looked down to see a small child, surely no older than a toddler, clinging desperately to his hakama.

"Otou, I'm scared," the young child—a girl—whined softly. "Wanna go home…go home…"

Shortly following her, he found a second child—and older boy—also wrapped around him.

"We found you, Otou," he murmured. "We got lost…"

Kagome stared incredulously at the scene, trying to make connections about just what was going on. As for Inuyasha, he simply had no words. He was attempting to process something—anything—about this odd event, now having two terrified little kids crying into his clothes. Finally, he got his vocal chords to function.

"Who…who…who _are_ you kids?" he stammered, feeling more awkward by the moment. At first, there was silence. Then the boy mumbled,

"…not funny, Otou. I just wanna go home. Let's go home…"

"_Home?_" Inuyasha repeated. "_Where _is '_home'?!_ And quit calling me 'Otou', kid, I ain't your father!"

Both children snapped their heads up in shock at that statement, staring at him in confusion and even hurt. Inuyasha noticed the damp tearstains on the girl's face and he shrank back slightly in the awkward hint of guilt. Kagome shot a very confused and somewhat curious glance in the hanyou's diction, gaze drifting from him to the kids to him again, questioning with her eyes what on earth was going on. Inuyasha shot a very, very frustrated and equally confused glare right back at her.

"But…but…yes, you are," said the boy, his voice just barely breaking a whisper in squeaks of voice. "I know you are. You _have_ to be." he clung to his "father's" clothes a little tighter.

"Nooo!" cried the girl, suddenly releasing her grip and running over to Kagome, almost knocking the sitting girl over with the impact as she threw her arms around her neck. "He's not Otou! He's too mean! Demon _ate_ Otou! Demon ate Otou!" The little child sniffled and whined and cried into Kagome's shirt for a second or two before she seemed to realize something. Her body still shuddering with shaky sobs, she slowly lifted her gaze to meet Kagome's eyes. Kagome stared back down at her, still confused, but also concerned and curious.

But no curious thought of hers would have prepared her for the next thing that the child murmured.

"…Demon ate Otou…controlling him! Demon ate him, Okaa…help…go home…"

Kagome blinked in utter shock. She shook her head slightly. Had the child…just called her…mother? Surely she must have heard wrong. She didn't have any kids, after all…she didn't have kids, she _couldn't _have kids, she'd never…she'd never…well, she didn't have kids!

"N…no, sweetie," she stumbled awkwardly, trying to be polite. "I…I'm not your…" But the little girl didn't seem to hear. She buried her head back into Kagome's chest and just continued to moan.

"Okaa, help…Okaa, home…" she repeated in mumbles.

"What in the world is going on here?"

Kagome whirled around the best she could to see Miroku sitting up, staring at the scene in upmost confusion. She winced inwardly a bit. Of course the commotion was going to wake the others. Sango was stirring, as well, staring with bleary eyes, though to her surprise, Shippo was still sound asleep, despite being right there. He must've been really tired.

"These two crazy kids just came bursting into the campsite whining and crying and calling me their father!" Inuyasha snapped. Miroku stared at him seriously, rather curious.

"Are you?"

"_Heck no!_"

Kagome could only stare sympathetically as she saw the children flinch with every exclamation the hanyou spat. Poor little things, they'd really believed he was their father, and now they're hearing this out of him. _That must hurt,_ she thought. _They probably fell so rejected…_

Then another thought struck her. As much as he denied the claim, Inuyasha had a long life, and Kagome hadn't known him for all of it. She didn't know everything about his backstory. Might he have fathered kids at some point that she just didn't know about? And if so…who might their mother be? Couldn't be herself, obviously. She glanced off to the side, slightly sad.

_No, no,_ she tried to reassure herself. _No, Inuyasha was pinned to the tree for 50 years before I met him. He certainly can't be the father of two young children…definitely not…_

"Ah, well, if you say so," Miroku said simply. "Now, say…seeing as it's still the middle of the night, why don't we invite these young children to stay with us for at least the night and then figure it out in the morning when we're all well-rested and can see better?"

"Sounds good to me," muttered Sango, who'd been in a particularly difficult battle the other day and was still rather worn out. Inuyasha huffed, but said nothing, simply leaping back into his tree.

Kagome watched, a bit numb-minded, as her companions went back to bed. The little girl was still clinging to her shirt, but her sobs were less noticeable and she seemed to be relaxing slightly, ready to fall asleep now that the noise had died down. She decided to leave her there.

The teenage girl then looked up at the boy. He was staring longingly up at the tree where Inuyasha had fallen asleep, looking rather crestfallen and confused.

"…Hey," Kagome said softly. The boy turned.

"Why don't you come join us, if you can squeeze in? The sleeping bag is probably more comfortable than being alone on the forest floor."

The boy studied her for just a fraction of a second, then trotted over. Kagome laid down, the little girl still curled up against her chest, now breathing evenly. The boy crawled in next to them, settling in the rather crowded nest.

"So I might as well know," Kagome stated as gently as she could, "What's your name?" The boy stared at her strangely and for what seemed like the longest time didn't answer. Kagome was beginning to fear that she'd said something wrong when he finally spoke, adverting his eyes and then closing them, head turning away from Kagome.

"Michi," he mumbled.

"And is this your sister, Michi?"

Another awkward pause.

"Izzy is my sister." he confirmed in the same low-spirited mumble.

"Ok," said Kagome softly, "That's nice to know. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll try to find your real parents and get you home."

No response from the boy. Just a sad, sad grimace that Kagome did not see.

They slept until morning.

.oOo.

**Author's Note:**

**October 10, 2012**

Well, finally! I've been meaning to revise this fic for quite some time now—wanna get the kid's behavior to be more accurate to their current ages plus up-to-date with their personalities—and wanted most of the official characters to be more IC. Not to mention just a bit less cheese.

Well, it's been great revising. Looking forward to fixing up the second chapter! Keep your eyes peeled!


	2. Proof, Sort Of

Misty morning sunlight filtered through the forest just a half hour or so after sunrise, falling on top of the sleeping travelers. A few beams managed to squeeze between the cracks of Kagome's closed eyes, alerting her to the presence of morning.

As she slowly fluttered back to consciousness, she noticed that her sleeping bag felt absolutely oddly cramped. Her mind had just been about to float off on a wild tangent to figure out the feeling when all the memories came flooding back like a burst dam.

She jolted up, eyes immediately opening. Sure enough, the children were still there, now beginning to stir, as well, as Kagome's jolt had woken them.

Shippo, as it turns out, had woken, too. He yawned widely.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kago-AAAAHH!" The small kitsune leaped out of the sleeping bag in shock upon seeing Michi and Izzy slowly waking, glancing at him. Michi's face suddenly bust into a wide smile, eyes brightening considerably.

"Shippo!" he exclaimed happily, pouncing on the kit in a joyful hug. "Thank goodness you're here! You know how get home, right? Let's go! Izzy, Izzy, Shippo's here!"

Shippo struggled a bit against the child's grasp, face squished in the embrace.

"Uhhhm, A'm thorry, bah who ah you?" he asked awkwardly, doing his best to speak through the hug. Michi's grip instantly loosened, pulling away with a surprised and upset expression.

"D…don't be silly, Shippo!" he stammered, "You know me. I'm Michi. Your _brother!_"

"Uuuuahhh!" the kitsune gasped. "I have a brother?! I can't have a brother! M…my parents are dead!"

"S…s…snap out of it, Shippo!" gaped Michi, voice cracking slightly, "Of course you have a brother! Me! And our sisters, too…like Izzy…"

When Shippo just stared back incredulously, Michi took a step back. "…Oh," he mumbled, walking off slowly, staring off into the forest. "Um, ok…." And he was quiet.

By this point, everyone was awake, observing the scene. Kagome took the moment to get a good look at the children. The first thing she noticed was the strangest, and something that had somehow escaped her in the darkness last night. Both the children had dog ears like Inuyasha. Well, Michi had ears like Inuyasha, anyways; Izzy's, for some reason, flopped over her head in a style more similar to that of, say, a Golden Retriever. But having noticed this feature at all, Kagome was beginning to see why they'd mistaken Inuyasha for their father, whoever he was.

Other than that, they both had dark black hair, the fur on their ears so matching-which was probably why the strange characteristic wasn't noticed in the dark. Izzy's was long and straight, her bangs parted down the middle in a style that vaguely reminded Kagome of her brother, Souta. Michi's was much shorter, not even reaching his shoulders, and curled outwards in a way that Kagome had to admit was rather adorable.

Their eyes, she found herself noticing, were rather beautiful. Izzy's were deep russet-brown, bright and full of young life. Michi's were dark, as well, but the hue was more of a blueish-indigo. Kagome's first impression was of Miroku's, but as her train of thought raced, she realized that they were also strikingly similar to Inuyasha's on the night of the new moon, when he assumed his human form for a few hours. How interesting, she thought, another trait similar to their supposed 'father'.

Their clothing was definitely feudal-era style, at least, as opposed to typical modern-era dress. Izzy was clothed in a worn, pink kimono-like outfit that tied in the front, complete with dirty socks that she assumed were once white and a pair of dark flip-fops. Michi wore a pale green haori-type shirt over a creamy undershirt. His pants were a much darker shade of green and were rather roomy and flowy—similar to hakama, but not quite the same thing. His shoes matched his sister's, but he wore no socks.

"Well," said Miroku, sitting up and speaking for the first time that morning, effectively halting Kagome's thoughts. "I suppose getting these children home would be our first priority for the time being. The easiest way to start is probably to ask them what they know,"

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Inuyasha, leaping down from his tree. "The sooner, the better. Get on with it, monk."

Kagome rolled her eyes slightly at the hanyou's snide remark as Miroku summoned Michi over to him. The boy trudged over.

"Now, what is your name, young one?"

"Michi," the boy muttered, glancing into Miroku's eyes. "And if that's not my mom, and that's not my dad, and that's not my brother, then I'm guessing you aren't my uncle, either, huh? Plus 'cause you had to ask my name,"

"Very observant of you," Miroku commented. Michi huffed. "However," the monk continued, "we are all willing to help you find your way home. We just need some information from you to help us find your parents. Can you tell us their names and perhaps a bit about them?"

"Okaa's real name is Kagome," sighed Michi. "She's the assistant Miko in our village. Kaede-sama is the main one, but she's really old. When she dies, Okaa will probably take over her duties. Some people don't like that idea, though. They say that she can't be a proper Miko because she's married and stuff. I think that's silly, though."

Miroku shot a glance at Kagome over the boy's shoulder. The teenaged girl stared back at him wide-eyed and confused, sending a shrug his way.

"And your father?"

"His name is Inuyasha." (a shocked "ack!" could be heard from the hanyou behind him.) "He's a hanyou. He hunts for us a lot, and sometimes he goes with our uncle Miroku to hunt demons for other villages."

"Really?" murmured Miroku quietly, once again looking over Michi's shoulder at the flustered pair behind him. "And what do they look like?"

"Well," grumped Michi, "Like _them._" He pointed harshly behind himself at Inuyasha and Kagome. They exchanged alarmed and confused glances, each of them very well knowing they hadn't ever had any kids.

"_Well,_" droned Miroku, "this case may be a little harder than I initially thought. We may have to consult someone wiser than us."

"Do it fast, then," the young boy mumbled, turning away from the monk. "I miss home."

There were a few moments of silence in the group as the conversation set in. Kagome slowly turned her gaze to meet Inuyasha's. He did the same, but just as she opened her mouth to say something, the hanyou turned away and ran off into the forest.

"Hey!" the teenager yelled after him, standing up. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"_Hunting!_" the hanyou spat. Kagome halted her argument, just watching him go with her hands on her hips and an annoyed grimace on her face as she shook her head slowly. A small tug at her skirt caught her attention. She glanced down to see Izzy staring up at her with her sad, curious russet eyes.

"Is he….gonna come back?" the child asked.

"Yes, probably," Kagome sighed. "Sooner or later."

"Well, until he does," said Sango, speaking up for the first time that morning, "we should get ready to go. We'll want to maximize our traveling time with such an odd delay."

"Good idea," agreed Miroku. "Kagome, could you go ahead and put away your night sack? I can never get that thing in its container."

"Yeah, sure," Kagome agreed, though she didn't miss the twitch of Michi's ear as her name was spoken, nor did she miss the curious and even suspicious glance he tossed her way.

"Excellent. And Sango, could you re-start the fire? We'll want to eat as soon as possible if we want, like you said, to maximize our traveling time."

"Way ahead of you," the demon slayer promised, already gathering small, dry twigs to use as kindling. Kagome took a slight interest in realizing that Michi had glanced around at the mention of Sango's name, as well. Was that name familiar to him, as well? And he'd also mentioned a Miroku while talking to…well, Miroku, and a Kaede. The situation just kept getting stranger.

Taking a deep breath, the teenager sighed and stepped off her sleeping bag.

"Izzy, you're going to have to move, too. I have to put this away."

"Ok," said the toddler, stepping off. As she did, Kagome noticed a small, shiny object buried in the folds of the fabric.

"…What's this?" she mumbled, leaning over to pick it up.

"Hey! That's mine!" gasped Izzy as Kagome lifted the shiny object.

It was a necklace. A small locket made of old false gold, obviously a trinket from her era. Kagome stared at it with narrowed eyes. It looked familiar…too familiar. Curiosity, needless to say, got the best of her, and she opened it.

She almost doubled over in shock when she saw what was inside.

It was the pictures of herself and Inuyasha, the ones that had mistakenly been taken while they'd somehow ended up arguing in a photo booth. She'd given the locket to him just last month. How on earth had this little girl ended up with it?

And another interesting detail she'd noticed—the photo wasn't just the photo. On top of each side were two messy blotches of ink, along with an upward-curving semicircle…and attempt to make them smiling! And quite obviously the work of someone very young with a paintbrush…

Kagome struggled slightly to slow her breathing as her thoughts raced and interacted and crashed into each other, not even noticing the way that Sango and Miroku were staring at her.

"Izzy," she murmured softly, "Where on earth did you get this?"

"Okaa gave it to me!" the toddler announced, and then added softly, "You gave it to me."

Kagome just glanced down at her, no longer sure if she could deny the child's claim. After all, she was the one who constantly time-traveled between two eras five hundred years apart. Might it be possible—vaguely possible—that, somehow, these kids found a way to time-travel, as well? Might they be from…not her era, but…_her_ future?

Perhaps…perhaps she could give it a test…

"Izzy…sweetheart," she added, trying to sound as 'motherly' as she could, "When was the last time…when was the last time we visited Uncle Sota?"

Both of the children's faces brightened considerably at the statement. Michi's ears perked up and his smile near broke his face.

"You _do _remember!" he exclaimed.

"At New Year's," said Izzy.

"Like we always do," added Michi.

For a moment, Kagome said nothing. These were…these _were_ her children. They had to be, if they knew about Souta, and with Izzy having the locket and all. A faint blush crept across her face as she remembered who their father was, too. How would _he_ take this?

"…Michi," she said quietly, "How…how old am I?"

The boy paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"Hmmm…" he said. "Uhm…I don't remember, exactly. I never really asked. 20-something, right?"

"…No," Kagome responded. "I'm only 15. Michi…I think…I think you and Izzy somehow went back in time. That's why none of us recognize you. In this point in our lives, we haven't had you yet. Inuyasha and I…aren't even married, yet." _Or even an official couple, really,_ she added to herself.

Michi and Izzy took a minute to process that, blinking slowly.

"Oh," Michi responded, unsure of how else to react. "Well…then…how do we get back to our own time?"

"I…don't know," Kagome replied honestly.

"I think," Miroku broke in, "that depends on how you got here in the first place. Do you have any strange memory of crossing over into a different time?" Michi shook his head earnestly.

"No. All I remember is that Okaa asked me an' Izzy to go collect some herbs at the outside of the forest by our house—well, she asked me, anyways, and Izzy just tagged along. We went down there, an' then we saw something further in the woods. It looked like more of the same herbs, and we thought that Okaa would be really happy if we brought back plenty extra, so we went to go get them, but it was getting pretty dark, and before we knew it, we got lost. We were wandering around for a while and Izzy accidentally dropped her herbs, so we didn't even have those anymore. Then we found you guys. And that's it." He shrugged.

"That's strange," murmured Sango. "I've heard of some pretty weird things, knowing a fair deal about demons, but I've never heard of anything like this. Have you, Miroku?"

"Can't say I have," Miroku agreed.

"Can't say you've what?" came a gruff voice from behind. The group turned to see Inuyasha, wearing his favorite grump-face, coming out from the forest with a small armful of fish. "Here, breakfast. Cook it fast, I'm hungry." He sent a narrowed, sideways glance in Kagome's direction, as well as at the children.

"So…what's the deal with the brats?" he grumbled awkwardly, trying to hide his curiosity with annoyance. "Have you found out where they live yet?"

"Well…heh…" stuttered Kagome, blushing a bit and allowing herself an awkward laugh. "They're…we…I mean, I…you…we…well, in the future…ahm…well…they…"

The teenager took a deep breath in, releasing it with a slow sigh. Well, he had to know…

"Inuyasha…" she began hesitantly, at first avoiding eye contact as she glanced off to the side, her blush deepening. After a moment's pause, she mustered her courage and looked him in the eye.

"We're parents."


	3. Reasoning

"…_W…what?!"_ exclaimed the hanyou after a brief pause of partially-digesting the statement, glancing from Kagome to the kids to Kagome again. "D…don't tell me you _believe _their nonsense! We both know that we…I…y'know, we don't have kids!"

"Well, no, but…"

"I mean, come on, Kagome! Don't you think we'd remember if we ever had any? We haven't even known each other long enough to have kids this old, anyways!"

"I know, but…"

"There's just no freaking way that—"

"_Inuyasha!_"

The hanyou finally snapped out of his angry rambling as his name was shouted, staring at the speaker as she held out an object to him.

"The little girl was wearing _this_," Kagome grumbled. "Look familiar?"

The hanyou froze when he saw it. With a tentative shaking hand, he reached out to take the special necklace. Was it…?

It was. He opened it only to be greeted by the distorted angry faces, changed by ink. He stared at it silently, intently. Very slowly he shifted his gaze to the girl, then to the boy, then once again to Kagome. Something unrecognizable was darting behind his amber eyes, emotions that not even Kagome could distinguish. But his facial expression seemed, somewhat to her dismay, rather distraught as thoughts sank in. The hanyou turned around slowly.

Then he ran, locket still in hand. He needed some time to think…a _lot _of time to think—without the rest of the group staring over his shoulders.

Kagome watched him go a bit sadly. _Well, _she thought, _that sure went over well…_

But after a moment's pause, she chased after him. She had to explain everything. Maybe—just maybe—he'd be more open then. _I hope so…_

The rest of the group watched her go in silence. It was Izzy who broke it.

"W…where are they going?" she asked in a quivering voice, looking up at Miroku, very uncomfortable with the tension that had hung in the air.

"I don't know," Miroku answered honestly. "But they'll be back soon." _Probably._

.oOo.

Inuyasha paused by a particularly wide river, not wanting to jump it. He sat down numbly, still trying to make sense of the artifact that he held in his palm.

It was the locket that Kagome had given to him not to long ago, without a doubt. He had been secretly keeping the gift with him, tucked safely into his thick red kimono. How on earth could a little toddler he'd never seen before gotten a hold of it?

He inspected the pendant closer, focusing on all of its details. It was exactly like it, _exactly_, except for the fact that it appeared older, more rustic, as though the false gold had gained several years, at least.

He knew that Kagome lived hundreds of years in the future, or was born there, anyways. Unconsciously coming to the same decision that Kagome had earlier, he wondered if the kids had perhaps found their way into a time slip. That might actually squeeze an ounce of sense out of the conversation.

He blushed slightly at that scenario, which would mean that the children were indeed his and Kagome's, which in turn means that in the future…he and Kagome…they'd get married…and have kids…together…

The hanyou found himself adverting his eyes at the thought, despite the fact that he had no one to advert them from.

Yet as his thoughts wandered, he began to realize a more pessimistic side to this supposed future of his.

He was a hanyou. The son of a human and a demon—a pairing that no one was fond of. Most of the humans and demons alike hated him simply for being that—except for Kagome and the others, that is.

But Kagome…Kagome was a human. A normal human; a respected one, in fact, having her purifying priestess abilities. Unlike him, she was overall _respected_ by the general public.

And the children? What would they be, or rather, what were they? They were not human. They were not demons. They weren't even hanyou.

Like he said, Kagome was respected by people. But what would happen to that respect when the people found out that she'd "lowered" herself to "mate" with a hanyou? When she'd willingly birthed his whining whelps?

It would be gone, all of it. That's what would happen, Inuyasha figured. And as for the children, they'd probably be as hated as he. The result of when a filthy half-breed defiles a creature meant to be "pure". Just an abomination to life itself, like he was. He turned his head in sadness and disgust, burying it slightly in his sleeves. The world was freaking awful sometimes.

"Inuyasha—"

"I'm sorry."

Kagome paused, rather caught off-guard by his gruff apology, studying his face.

"…Eh?"

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha repeated. "Those kids. I don't know what my supposed future self was thinking, burdening you with them. I…it was stupid of me. I couldn't protect you properly."

Another pause. Kagome blinked, realizing by the statement that Inuyasha did at least acknowledge them as their kids. She wouldn't have to worry about that. But what was this whole thing about failing to protect her? When she spoke again, her voice sounded rather incredulous.

"…I don't know what you're talking about. Who said they would be a…a 'burden'? Do you…do you not want them?"

"Yes…well, no…well, I mean…agh!" gasped the hanyou irritably. "Look, Kagome, those kids…they…they would be hanyou…no, not even that. They're not human, they're not youkai, they're not even hanyou! According to the world, their blood would be dirtier than mine!"

Kagome studied the hanyou's face curiously.

"…so?" she said softly.

"So?!" Inuyasha repeated incredulously "_So _that means that…that…" he paused, whisking his head away angrily for a second. When he spoke again, his tone was somewhat restrained, as though he were trying to hold back some form of emotion.

"You're pretty respected by people, y'know, for your spiritual powers and all. But I'm not. People hate me because I'm a hanyou, and they'd hate the kids because they're less…and powers or not, they'd hate you simply because you mothered them."

He slowly looked up into the girl's eyes.

"I don't want that," he whispered. "I don't want all your respect to be lost just because of a hanyou and his offspring."

"Inuyasha…" murmured Kagome. She was quiet a moment, then spoke a bit louder.

"Inuyasha, I don't need respect from people who are blind enough to see you only for what you are and not for who you are."

"But—"

"No! There are no 'buts' about it! You know where I stand on this. And my same beliefs go for Michi and Izzy. In fact," she glanced of to the side, permitting herself a shy smiled as a blush tainted her cheeks, "once I got past the shock of the situation, I was…kind of happy. Y'know, that we have kids one day."

Her hanyou companion started at her incredulously.

"…R…really?"

She glanced up again, still a bit shy, but making eye contact. Her blushed deepened just slightly.

"Yeah."

.oOo.

Back at the camp, the group was all packed up and ready to go. The food had even been cooked and the fire put out, everyone having eaten save Inuyasha and Kagome.

"I wonder when Inuyasha and Kagome are coming back," Sango mused aloud. "We'll have to get going soon."

"Yeah," agreed Shippo, "I hope they're not arguing again." He turned back to the intense game of tic-tac-toe that he had been playing in the dirt with Michi and Izzy. He sketched an "x" in the bottom left corner. "Haha! Tic-tac-toe, three in a row! I win!"

"Aww, no fair!" whined Michi, who had been very close to winning that particular round.

"Again, again!" chanted Izzy, dusting away the current boarder and tracing a new one with a small finger. "I'mma win this time!"

"Oh, no, you won't!"

Sango and Miroku smiled watching the three play. Michi and Izzy seemed like sweet little kids; they found themselves hoping that Inuyasha would accept them more easily, even if he didn't really think they were his. They needed _someone,_ right?

Just as that thought struck, Inuyasha and Kagome walked back into the camp. The group looked up.

"Well?" asked Sango.

"Did you get the situation with the children figured out?" clarified Miroku.

Kagome glanced over at the kids in question, noting that Michi in particular was listening intently to the conversation, his dark little puppy ears pricked keenly forward. She smiled shyly.

"Well, they're our kids, alright," she said a bit sheepishly, but maintaining her smiled. She didn't miss the twitch of Michi's ear as he cocked his head slightly and his eyes subtly brightened, nor did she miss Izzy's curious gaze turning her way. Her face then shifted to a more serious expression.

"But," she continued, sensing and air of brief confusion, "_but, _they're out of their proper time frame. We think…we think they're from our future, and somehow got themselves into a time slip and came here. What's most important now is returning them to their proper time." 

"…How, though?" asked Miroku.

"We aren't too far from Kaede's village, are we?" mentioned Sango. "We could start making our way there and just ask her. She's bound to know something."

"Good idea," agreed Miroku.

"I third it," said Kagome.

"Ooh, me too!" Shippo chimed in, leaping up on Kagome's shoulder. "Kaede always has good answers. She'll know what to do!"

"Keh, I guess," grumbled Inuyasha, just for the sake of throwing in his "approval". Miroku glanced up at the children, still sitting at their game in the dust.

"Michi? Izzy? Is that ok with you two? You should probably need to get back to your own time period as soon as possible. Your parents are probably worried."

Kagome blinked at that statement. She hadn't thought of that. Her future self probably _was_ worried…what an odd feeling.

"Ok," said Michi rather shortly. Izzy nodded.

"Then it's decided," the monk finalized decisively. "If we leave now, we should be able to reach Kaede's village within a two or three days, walking pace. Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's," agreed Sango, hoisting Hiraikotsu onto her back. "The sun's already getting rather high. We really ought to be on our way. Come on, Kirara,"

And with that, the demon slayer walked away from the once-campsite, followed quickly by the little cream kitten and the rest of the group. Michi fell in step just behind his 'father', watching the hanyou curiously. Izzy trotted next to Kagome, remaining rather quiet, but still looking up every now and again, as though unsure of whether or not to speak.

At one point, Kagome looked down and happened to make eye contact with her future daughter. _She has _my_ eyes, _she realized suddenly, blinking a few times at the thought.

She also noticed, though, that the child's face and clothes were coated in dirt and dust, probably from a mixture of playing in the dust and possibly tripping while still lost in the woods earlier.

"Say, Izzy," she mentioned quietly, "Maybe, if we get the chance later today, we should get you into a bath." She smiled a bit teasingly. Somewhat to her surprise, though, the toddler smiled right back.

"Ok."

.oOo.

**Author's Note**

**October 16, 2012**

Copy/pasting the Author's Note from the original chapters just for the sake of preserving them. Hope you've enjoyed the revise so far; more to come soon!

.oOo.

"Wow, guys, thanks for all the reviews! It really dose motivate me. ^^ It takes a fair deal of time to sit down and write six pages' worth of chapter, but reading all the feedback inspires me and gets me excited to write the next part! Thank you all; I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. :3"


	4. A Village Reaction

Traveling through a demon-infested forest in search of jewel shards taken by said demons while still trying to look after two extra children, the group found, was no easy task.

Now, Shippo was young, too, but he was small enough and light enough to ride on almost any of the group member's shoulders without being too much of a burden, and even if that failed, which it rarely did, he could just transform into something smaller.

Michi and Izzy were different, though. They tired relatively quickly—especially Izzy, and she wasn't quite as easy to carry. As small as she was, she was still significantly larger and heavier than the kitsune. Carrying Michi…wasn't much of an option.

And more often than not, tired kids are also cranky kids. Not to mention the short attention spans.

"Where are we going, anyways?" grumbled Michi as the afternoon droned on.

"We're going to Lady Kaede's village," answered Miroku curtly. "It's a relatively short trip. Just a few days."

"A few _days?!_" gaped Michi. "But my feet are tired _already_! And it hasn't even been _one_ day!" The monk took a heavy exhale before glancing at the flustered child walking near him.

"If you don't mind my asking, how old are you, Michi?"

"Almost six," said the boy, holding up the corresponding number of fingers as though to prove his point.

"And your sister?"

"Three."

"'Most four!" snapped Izzy from behind.

"Still, like, um…well, months away!" Michi growled back. Miroku sighed again.

"That would explain why you're having a difficulty traveling. Such journeys are not meant for young children like yourselves."

"He-yy!" gasped Shippo. "What about me?"

The monk ignored the kit, a bit to Shippo's annoyance, and continued.

"_But, _sometimes, they get wrapped up into it, like you have here, and they just have to put up with it. It's the only way to get you back to your real home and time."

Michi still huffed and continued walking. He had nothing to really argue with that. The walk continued for another minute or two, both the kids with pouty expressions, when Izzy really started to vocalize her discomfort.

"Okaaaa," she whined hoarsely, tugging lightly on Kagome's skirt, "I'm tired 'n' feet huuuurt!"

Kagome looked down at her daughter, the toddler's expression scrunched up and not very comforting at all. She paused awkwardly for a moment, unsure of exactly how to react.

"Well…um…" she stammered. "I guess I _could_ carry you, but…"

The child's eyes widened immediately at the suggestion.

"Yeeeesssss!" she gasped, reaching up desperately at her future mother and bouncing a little.

"Well," said Kagome, "well….ok, but you might be a little too heavy." Nevertheless, she leaned down and hoisted the girl up, grunting a bit as she struggled to get to a comfortable position. Izzy immediately wrapped her small arms around Kagome's neck, burying her head into her mother's shoulder and wrapping her legs around her stomach in an automatic, almost instinctive cling. It wasn't going to be easy, Kagome thought, but she could manage for a few minutes, at least. Hopefully.

"Hey!" gasped Michi suddenly. "That's not fair! Why does she get to be carried?"

"Sorry, Michi," Kagome replied sympathetically, "But Izzy did ask, and anyways, you're a bit too big for me to carry." She paused a moment, uncomfortable with the tension in the air. A rouge thought began to suddenly nag at the back of her mind. Dare she suggest it?

Well, it's worth a shot.

"_I_ can't carry you," she said again, "but maybe…maybe Inuy—er, maybe Otou can."

Michi's ears perked up and Inuyasha's fell back at the idea as the hanyou turned around, glaring at Kagome with in irritation.

"Inuyasha, please?" Kagome question softly, gazing as pleadingly as she could into the hanyou's stubborn golden eyes. Michi joined the sad stare.

"Pleeeeeeease, Otou?"

After a brief inner battled with his more hard-headed side, Inuyasha gave in with a sigh.

"_Fine_," he grumbled irritably.

"Yay!" exclaimed the dog-eared boy, running over to his future father.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Kagome said warmly.

"Keh!" the hanyou retorted. To his future son, he added, "Piggyback, kid," turning around and crouching down so that the child could get on. He did.

And with that, the group set off once more.

It really was undeniable, Inuyasha thought.

Even after the whole deal with the locket, something inside him wanted to doubt that these two were his kids. It was just so _bizarre_. But there were few excuses left to be made. And now with Michi riding on his back and the child's scent therefore being very close to his nose, the hanyou was left with no doubt whatsoever.

The kid had his own distinct scent, certainly. But Inuyasha could also detect his own scent laying strongly underneath it, as well as Kagome's—an older, more mature version of her, but Kagome's sweet scent nonetheless. This _was_ their child. His cheeks tinged a slight pink at the thought.

He could see it in them, too. The hair of them both sported Kagome's rich dark color, though the little girl's had a texture more akin to his own. The girl's eyes, too, matched Kagome's beautifully, and though he rarely had a mirror on the occasion, he came to realize that Michi's were startlingly similar to how his own eyes looked on the night of the new moon, when the hanyou temporarily became a human.

Neither of them had much youki at all, Inuyasha noticed. Michi had more than Izzy, whose was barely detectable at all, but even that was significantly less than his own. _They _are_ mostly human, I suppose, _he thought.

Yes, it really _was _undeniable. But that didn't at all make it less strange.

Inuyasha was taken out of his thoughts when Miroku suddenly halted, staring out at a distant village.

"What's wrong, Miroku?" Shippo questioned curiously. "Why'd you stop?"

"…I'm sensing an ominous presence from that village," the monk answered slowly, still thinking.

"This isn't another one of your stupid scams to get a place to stay, is it?" Inuyasha complained flatly.

"No, wait, I feel it, too," injected Sango, focusing in that direction. "It definitely feels like some sort of youki."

"…yeah, now that you mention it, I think you're right." Kagome agreed quietly, joining the gaze. Inuyasha groaned irritably.

"Alright, fine, so something's really there. But it doesn't concern us, does it? Kagome, do you sense a shard?"

"No…"

"Great! Then it's none of our business. Let's go."

"Inuyasha!" Shippo snapped. "Such a bad attitude! We should help them!"

"And why is that, runt?"

"Shippo's right…" Kagome mumbled, "I think we should help them, too."

"That'd just be a waste of—"

"O…su…wa—"

"Ok, ok!"

And so the group, some more willing than others, set off towards the village.

They were met with a fairly average reaction. Many villagers watched them curiously as Miroku conversed with the headman.

"Are they travelers?"

"Those ones are humans, but what of the others?"

"Demons, maybe?"

"What of the children there? They look mostly human, but such…_unusual _ears…"

"A disguise?"

"_Well,_" said Miroku, returning to the group, "The head of the village has agreed to grant us a shelter for the night in return for ridding the village of the ominous aura. Apparently it's been worrying their villagers for a few days now."

"We have a hut for travelers just on the other side of the village," the headman added, coming up from behind Miroku. "Hao and Toushio here will take you to it." He nodded towards two nearby men, who came nearer.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Miroku said, bowing towards the headman. "We'll deal with the aura as soon as possible."

"No, thank you," retorted the headman, returning the gesture. "We're fortunate to have such a group offer help before a disaster occurred.

Miroku simply nodded as the two men came over, escorting the group away. The village wasn't huge; it was scarcely larger than Kaede's. A few children dashed across the pathways, their mothers watching closely. A couple of men walked through with food and other hard-earned goodies. An elderly woman sat just outside a hut working fervently on stitching a piece of fabric. A few of the people would turn and curiously look at the strange band of travelers, but most just continued about their daily lives.

Kagome began to feel an odd glare burning into her. She turned slightly, noticing the man the headman had called Toushio staring back and forth between herself, Inuyasha, and occasionally Shippo, an odd grimace on his face and something strange flashing in his dark eyes. Kagome wasn't sure what he was thinking, but something told her that she didn't like it.

They reached their destination quickly, a medium-sized hut with thick curtains acting as a door.

"Here we are," said Hao. "Enjoy your stay." The group thanked him and entered, preparing quickly to deal with the presence. Inuyasha (along with Michi on his back) was the last to enter. He glanced at the "escorts" suspiciously before he walked in. Hao didn't do much, he merely watched for a moment and looked away. The hanyou wasn't too sure about Toushio, however, whom he'd noticed staring at himself and Kagome during the walk…and, he realized with a bit of surprise, his eyes slightly widening, the children that they carried. His suspicion suddenly doubled, but all Toushio did was watch, as well, before slowly turning and moving after Hao, an odd expression across his face.

_Keh,_ Inuyasha thought, entering the hut. He set Michi down, who ran over to join his "mother" and sister. Miroku was glancing through his small collection of sutras, trying to figure out which would be best for this particular problem. Sango had already removed her usual kimono to show the tight demon slayer's outfit she wore underneath and was pulling her hair back and out of the way.

"Ready to go?" Miroku asked after a moment.

"Let's get this over with," grumbled the hanyou, moving right back out of the hut, lightly fingering Tessaiga's hilt. Miroku followed quickly. Sango began to move out, too, but paused at the threshold.

"Kagome? Are you coming?" asked the demon slayer.

The girl shook her head.

"The kids can't go into the fight, and there's gotta be _someone_ to watch them, right?"

Sango nodded in understanding.

"Gotcha. But keep your bow ready, just in case!"

"Will do. Good luck!"

And so Sango went to join the "hunting party."

Shippo sat still a minute, then following with an "I'm going, too!"

Kagome sat quietly in the hut, now, with just Michi and Izzy. She glanced at the two. They were still a mess, but it didn't seem she'd be able to fix that today, after all, seeing as they'd already found a place to stay for the night. Perhaps tomorrow, they'd have to find some sort of hot spring, or just a plain river if such a luxury wasn't available. For a moment, she began to rub her shoulder a bit. Carrying Izzy had gotten very tiring very quickly. The child was cute, but she felt really heavy after a while, that was for sure.

The curtains rustled suddenly, causing Kagome and the children to turn around in surprise. The man named Toushio had slipped in and was glaring back and forth between Kagome and the kids.

"You the mother of those kids, woman?" he asked lowly. Kagome, a bit nervous, wanted to explain the whole time-traveling scenario, but she thought better of it. It was complicated, and it's not likely that he'd believe. So she simply nodded.

"And who's their father? The hanyou?"

Again, a nod. Kagome shrank back slightly at the man's bitter expression as he approached a bit. He wasn't a small man in the least—he was large and strong and very intimidating. His light summer covering showed off the muscles in his arms and legs. His greasy, dark hair was pulled very tightly back into a small wolftail. His eyes were small and very, very dark, near the point that Kagome couldn't distinguish between the iris and the pupil. The girl stifled a nervous gasp. This could go very badly.

"Such a pretty face," he mused, voice laced with mock sympathy. "It's truly a shame it was stolen by such a worthless being."

Kagome felt a sudden rush of emotional protectiveness at the remark.

"Inuyasha's not _worthless_!" she retorted almost automatically.

"Pah!" Toushio snorted. I don't know what that abomination has deluded you into thinking, woman, but he's no where near what you could have had. Surely you realized that? Surely you had little say in the beginning, ne? He forced you? Or were you just stupid enough to purposely go for it? I would hope not!"

A frozen silence reigned for a moment as the words sunk into Kagome's mind. She narrowed her eyes slowly. Were she a hanyou, she may have been snarling like Inuyasha.

She could feel Izzy and Michi behind her, shivering. Izzy hid behind her mother in fear of the large man. Michi, though he didn't make any moves, stared furiously, trying to hide his hurt with anger as he grit his teeth and attempted to produce a small growl of his own. _Just like his father…_

"He forced me to…what, exactly?" she asked coldly, glaring suspiciously at the man. Toushio's eyes widened as he glanced at the children, then back at her. Anger and offense exploded through Kagome's mind as she realized what he meant. How dare he suggest such a thing! Of course, chronologically, _nothing _had happened, but still, she was quite sure that would not be the situation even in the future.

"No!" she hissed to the man. "Inuyasha would never do—"

"So you went _willingly_?"

"_Yes_!" Kagome spat. The man shook his head.

"Pitiful," he grumbled, "Just _pitiful_. You disgrace of a human, choosing to mate with such a vile being—"

"_Excuse me?_" Kagome exclaimed. "Who are you to call him a vile being? You don't even know him! You have absolutely no right to judge Inuyasha by his lineage! He didn't choose his parents!"

"But _you_ chose your _mate_!" the man snapped back. "That hanyou's parents were poorly mistaken fools! He was an accident! A freak of nature! _His_ choices wouldn't matter!"

"He's not my _mate, _he's my _husband_," Kagome snarled. Ok, technically not until the future, but that was how it was as far as Toushio understood it. "We're not _animals_, for crying out loud! And how _dare_ you suggest that his choices don't matter _just because of the way he was born!_"

"He shouldn't have BEEN born!" Toushio yelled back. "Humans and demons are simply not meant to mix! Such a creature as him shouldn't have been born in the first place—nor should you have dirtied a bloodline that should have died with him even further by birthing _those _two whelps!" the man stomped angrily as he shouted, pointing a tensed finger at Michi and Izzy. The children shrank back and Izzy began to lightly sob.

The short silence that followed was incredibly tense.

"How _dare_ you…" she growled lowly in a tone that would make the devil himself quake with fear.

"How _dare you…_" she repeated, voice rising steadily, a few cracks heard here and there as she subconsciously reached for her bow, "…insult _my husband _and _my children_ in such a manner!"

She cocked an arrow, pointing it at the man's face. He glared at her.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!" spat the girl in all her anger, shaking with fury. _Gosh, dang it! I can't aim straight! _

Seeing the scene, Izzy's wails intensified.

"No, Okaa!" the toddler pleaded from her knees, clinging to her mother's leg, "Don' kill him! Don' _kill _him!" A few tears brimmed her eyes, not wanting to witness murder. Even to as cruel a bully as this one, the thought of watching her mother kill a human horrified the child.

Izzy's cries snapped Kagome out of her furious state. She glanced down at her…her daughter. Had she really been about to…? Oh, my…

Kagome dropped her bow, the arrow falling harmlessly to the wooden floor with a soft _clink._ She embraced the child, trying to comfort herself as much as Izzy. A few salty tears began to well up in her own eyes. How…why…?

"Pah-ha-ha!" the man laughed. "Stopped by a filthy-blooded whelp! How low _are_ you, womaAAAAAUGH!"

The village man's insult had been cut short as a sharp jab of pain jolted up his arm. He turned to see Michi by his side, small teeth buried into his arm, and painful glare of merciless hurt and anger on the child's face. The bite did not draw blood, as Michi had no fangs like his father, but it hurt nonetheless.

The man's face contorted in anger.

"Get _off _me, you worthless freak!" he hissed, flinging Michi to the side, disbarring his grip. The man may have been only mortal, but he was still strong, strong enough to send the almost-six-year-old stumbling back and eventually falling, at least.

Michi shook his head, his already messy short, black hair ruffling out more. He stood, shaking, with stray drops of burning tears leaking down his face.

"D…don't talk about my Okaa and Otou like that…meanie!" he yelled, rushing forwards again.

"Pah, _fool_!" growled the man, preparing to attack the child as he got nearer.

"_Michi_!" gasped Kagome, alarmed. She stood and reached for the child, trying to get in between him and the man…

But all was interrupted as a certain hanyou burst through the door, the youkai having been exterminated. Kagome fell in mid-leap and the man spun around to face the oncomer. He spoke angrily.

"Hany—OOOWWW!"

In the brief distraction, Michi had managed to bite him again. Inuyasha stared at the child, trying to make sense of the situation. Michi noticed the gaze and released his grip on the very ticked-off village man.

"He was being a jerk, Otou!" the almost-six-year-old whined desperately. "He was saying mean things about you and me and Okaa! He…he would've _hurt _her!" The child's voice broke more and more towards the end of the sentence, deteriorating into terrified sobs.

"I…I had to help…"

But the child couldn't say anything else through his tears. Izzy, too, was crying, horrified and unsure of the situation around her. She ran up to Inuyasha for safety, clinging to the hanyou's leg for the third time.

But for the first time, Inuyasha reacted differently. He was still for a moment, letting the scene and situation sink in, then he actually knelt down and _returned_ the little girl's embrace, something unrecognizable flashing beyond his eyes. He grabbed Michi, too, holding both the children close. That man…he had done exactly what the hanyou had feared he would…

And the child…Michi…_his _child…his…son…

Such a desire to protect. The boy had such a desire to protect his family.

And the hanyou understood.

Toushio stared bitterly at the scene.

"Disgusting," he spat. Inuyasha glared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Disgusting!" the man repeated, louder. "You and your family are nothing but a disgusting and vile group of traitors! Your dirty blood taints this village! You are no longer welcomed here!" He pointed towards the door, all muscles tensed in anger.

"_Keh_! As if we'd _want _to stay after your nasty actions!" snapped Inuyasha. He paused a moment, voice lowering to a menacing rumble. "_I _can handle the cruelty, but don't you _dare_ spread it to Kagome or to my children!"

And with that, he promptly exited. Michi grabbed his father's arm for support, trying to keep up with him despite his shock. Kagome scooped up a still trembling Izzy and followed promptly, giving the man one last nasty glance in the eye.

The group passed Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, who had been working things out with the village leader, on the way out.

"We're leaving," Inuyasha grumbled. Miroku paused in surprise.

"But…Inuyasha…" he said, pointing to the hut.

"_No buts!_" the hanyou snapped. "We're leaving _now,_ go grab your stuff and let's go!"

Miroku sighed again. If there was anything he'd learned after traveling with Inuyasha for as long as he had, it was that there was no arguing with the hanyou.

So the group was on the road once more.

.oOo.

**Author's Note**

**November 27, 2012**

Finally got around to revising this chapter! And good gracious, it got long! XD

.oOo.

[no original note]


	5. Acceptance

The group walked on in silence for the remaining majority of the afternoon. Miroku and Sango could feel the tension coming off of Inuyasha and Kagome and certainly weren't about to ask. At least not in this setting.

It wasn't long, though, until the silence was broken not by voices, but by a series of stomach rumblings. In the events of the morning, the group had forgotten to eat the several fish that Inuyasha and Kirara had brought back, leaving them there on the forest floor for small demons or other wild animals to pick at, and they can't really say they'd had time for lunch.

Kagome had soon tired of carrying little Izzy, but as the three-year-old was still feeling rather shocked from the encounter with the village man, she just couldn't force herself to walk at the same pace as the rest of the group, so Kirara had transformed and allowed the toddler to ride on her back, though the nekomata walked instead of flew as she so often did in this form.

Izzy herself looked rather drained, almost asleep on the big cat's back, slumping over so that her small head rested on the fluffy scruff of Kirara's neck, soft black hair intertwining with cozy creme fur.

Michi was walking on his own, but was still clinging to Inuyasha's sleeve and was also looking quite worn out.

Inuyasha seemed strangely distant during the trek, staying towards the front where his face couldn't be seen by anyone (except Michi, who glanced up occasionally) and never turned behind him.

Of course, granted the hanyou had never been the most talkative member of the group during their long walks, but this time was different. They could feel it in the air.

The events that had gone on in that village had really, _really_ bothered him.

Tension hung in the silence. It was all very awkward and no one was really sure of what to do next.

Shippo broke it.

"Hey, I smell water," he announced tentatively. "I think we're near a hot spring!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Kagome gasped. She could really use a nice soak, and she still thought it would be a good idea to get Michi and Izzy washed off.

"This could actually be really useful," Sango agreed, thinking about it. "The boys could go off hunting or something while we girls take a bath, then when we're done, we could go and cook it while the boys take their turn in the spring. By the time _they're_ clean, the food will all be done, and boom, we're all clean and fed. It could turn out to be a good evening after all!"

Kagome nodded vigorously.

"I second that idea," she agreed. Miroku shrugged.

"Works for me; I'm starved. Inuyasha?"

The hanyou grunted an approval. "I guess."

"Great, then. Shippo, how far away is this hot spring?" inquired the monk.

The young kitsune gave a few deep whiffs to the air.

"Not too far, actually. I'd say about a two minute's walk."

Miroku nodded satisfactorily.

"Perfect. Let's just set up camp here and get things going!"

The entire group put in their murmurs of agreement, all ready to settle down for the night, even if it _was _a bit early.

Kagome stretched, glad to be ready to take a break.

"All right, thank goodness! Let's go, Sango. And I suppose Izzy and Shippo are joining us, too," she added. Sango nodded.

"I'd say so."

"Hey, what about me?" whined Michi.

"Um…Iiiiiii think you should stay with Inuyasha and Miroku, Michi," Kagome admitted a bit awkwardly. "You can be in their group." She hopped the child wouldn't get to upset with her tone; he was probably used to bathing with the whole family.

Ooh. Kagome blushed as such thoughts began to run through her mind. That's right…she and Inuyasha got married in the future…which means, in this era, that they would probably bathe together, too...hadn't Shippo mentioned that? Yikes.

Luckily, though, the child didn't seem to notice. He just shrugged and said "ok".

Kagome took Izzy from Kirara and held her awkwardly. Her arms were still rather sore from carrying the child for so long earlier, but the girl looked so drained, and what could she said? She could feel herself developing a serious soft spot for the children in just the past day—the odd fact that they were hers didn't really help, either.

The girls made the trek down to the hot springs, Shippo leading the way with his sensitive fox nose. Upon arriving, they quickly stripped down and entered the water.

The warm liquid seemed to stimulate Izzy a bit, re-alerting her senses. Kagome was quick to wash the dirt and dust off her face, especially under her eyes, where tearstains had very obviously cut through the mess.

Once all the dust was gone from her face, Kagome could only stare. The child was beautiful, as far as she was concerned. And she was hers, all hers.

That jerk of a man hadn't known what he was talking about. This child was perfect, no matter what species' blood lurked in her veins. And she was sure that her brother was, too.

"Okaa," Izzy murmured as Kagome scrubbed the rest of the toddler's body clean, then moving on to her own, "Would you really have killed that guy?" Kagome paused in surprise and Sango stared, somewhat shocked. What had happened in that village?

"…No," Kagome finally said. "No, of course I wouldn't have. He was being a bully, but killing him would have been wrong."

"But you had your bow ready and everything. I thought…you might really…"

"No, no," Kagome reassured in a hushed tone. "I wasn't…in my right mind, really. I was just worried that he might try to hurt you, sweetheart."

Izzy beamed briefly at the nickname. Her mother always called her that, in her time, but this was the first instance she'd heard it from he younger version.

Sango smiled, too, for a moment. Kagome seemed to have adapted to a parenting role much more easily than Inuyasha…but then again, that wasn't really a surprise, given the two's different personalities.

But then the demon slayer's first thought resurfaced and the grin fell. She stared at her friend.

"Kagome…just what happened in that village?"

Kagome glanced up at her friend, complicated emotions darting just behind her deep brown eyes. She took a deep breath, and then explained everything. Sango appeared somewhat stunned at its end.

"Wow," the demon slayer murmured. "Could one man really be that cruel about two children just because their father was a hanyou?"

Kagome nodded sullenly.

"Sadly, yes."

"My. That's awful."

"It sure is."

There was a pause. The three girls sat quietly, gentle ripples of warm water lapping at their bodies. Shippo, too, was silent; he couldn't think of anything that would be worth adding to the conversation.

Sango finally spoke up.

"Kagome…" she began quietly, "Do you realize that…that's going to be the opinion of most average village people when you, er, actually have kids? If Inuyasha's their father?"

"Of course, and I don't care!" retorted Kagome quickly, grasping Izzy tightly, slightly surprising the three-year-old.

"Well, yes, and I completely support you all's decision, but…" the demon slayer trailed off for a moment, unsure of how to put her thoughts to words. "But I just wanted to be sure you would be…well, I dunno, prepared, I guess. You're my friend, Kagome. I just want to watch out for you."

The miko smiled warmly at the comment.

"Thanks, Sango. I'm glad."

Sango smiled back, and another brief silence reigned.

"And of course, _I'll _be watching out for _you _when you and Miroku have kids of your own!" the miko added as a good-natured taunt, a sly smile on her face. Sango blushed furiously; Kagome giggled light-heartedly.

"N…not funny, Kagome!" gasped a very flustered demon slayer. Kagome grinned again.

"Yes, I know, I know."

oOo

It felt good to fill everyone's stomachs, and to be clean, of course. The men had made quick work of their bathing while the women cooked the freshly-hunted meat quite well, and everyone was feeling much better now.

The sky was darkening quickly; camp had been set up and all the sleeping supplies were out. Michi and Izzy, worn out from the journey, had already fallen asleep in Kagome's sleeping bag. Miroku and Sango were each staring into the fire, lost on their own trains of thought, while Shippo and Kirara played lazily in the corner, too alert to bunk down for the night, but too tired to do anything more active.

Kagome sat on the ground and watched her supposed children sleep. They really were beautiful, she decided. Amazing. Strange, as the situation went, but amazing.

Inuyasha, who had been pacing uncomfortably around the camp, walked up behind Kagome. The miko turned to see him standing over her, arms crossed in front of his chest, an awkward scowl settled on his features.

"C…come take a walk with me," he requested awkwardly. "I need…I need to talk to you."

Bewildered, Kagome stood and followed.

Once they were far from the camp, much too far for any eavesdropping, Inuyasha turned to his beloved friend.

"I'm sorry," he rumbled earnestly. "I'm so sorry, Kagome. About that man from the village."

"Don't be, Inuyasha," Kagome chided. "That man was just a jerk. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was!" argued Inuyasha. "I'm the one who's part demon. I'm the reason he ridiculed you! I'm the reason that people hate you! I'm the reason that people hate the children!"

"Inuyasha…" gasped Kagome. But there was no interrupting now…yet. Inuyasha's voice was breaking; he was standing on a much-needed soapbox. He continued.

"Had I been more responsible, this never would have happened. You would be so much safer! Don't you see, Kagome? I'm just a hanyou! A worthless, filthy hanyou, as far as they're concerned! I don't deserve a family! I don't deserve—"

But at that point, Kagome decided that enough was enough.

So she halted his words…with a firm kiss dead on the lips.

Sure enough, the hanyou's vocal chords stopped working right there. Heck, his entire _mind_ just halted.

By the time he realized in full what was going on, the kiss was over. Kagome was staring at him with a very determined expression, gripping his arms tightly in her hands.

"Inuyasha," she began, "How many times to I have to tell you that I don't care what the rest of the world thinks? Ok, fine, they hate us. Let them be jerks! Let them call us dirt! _I don't care. _But, Inuyasha, what I _do _care about is _you._"

The girl released her hands' grip and wrapped her arms around the hanyou's waist, engulfing him in a tight embrace.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you as a hanyou, and I love Michi and Izzy for what they are. I know it's hard to have the role of a parent suddenly forced upon you—I feel like that, too!—but those two need a father."

She lifted her head and gazed into Inuyasha's golden eyes. She was met with a surprise: that those amber depths were swimming with unshed tears. Was Inuyasha…_crying_?

"Inuyasha, I know it's hard to believe. This situation is crazy and yes, the people of the world can be so prejudiced to that which they don't understand: us," she continued. "But seriously, do you actually think I would have ever agreed to have your kids if I was disgusted by the thought of their opinion? Of course not! But I did. Even if it's a decision that wasn't made until the future from now, I was and am being very clear on where I stand on this."

She paused, letting the words sink in a little.

"Inuyasha. Please. Can you promise me to be a good father to these children until we can return them to their proper time? Can you promise to do the same when they're born for real, however far that is from now?"

For a moment, there was no response, only silence ringing through the air. Kagome felt almost afraid for a moment. Had she said too much?

But then, Inuyasha began to relax. His arms snaked around her, holding the girl close. With a stray hand, he moved up to her head, leaning against his chest. He turned her to face him, then slowly, as though he thought she might break, leaned down.

And he returned the kiss she'd given him earlier.

Kagome blinked rapidly, flushed, but quickly adjusted and melted into the hanyou. The kiss was brief, but very loving as Inuyasha pulled away slowly.

"I…love you, too," he murmured ever-so-softly. "And…and yes. I promise."

Kagome smiled, tears of happiness and relief welling up in her eyes.

And a new family was born.


	6. This Could Work

Inuyasha and Kagome walked slowly, silently back to camp, each reflecting on the events that had just occurred.

Now out of the moment, Inuyasha began to think.

_Gee, why did I say that? _he thought, somewhat stressed. _I don't know the first thing about being a father! Now I'm supposed to just take over the role for_ two_ kids!_

But still, a promise was a promise. He'd have to try. For Kagome. Right?

Besides, if those kids legitimately _were_ from the future…well, he supposed he could use the practice. He slipped his hand into Kagome's. She returned the grasp reassuringly, gazing up warmly into his eyes. Perhaps…perhaps this would actually work out.

Everyone was already sleeping by the time they returned. Miroku and Sango were curled up on the floor, rather close, but not near close enough to look like anything suggestive—Sango had made sure of that. Shippo had snuggled up in the sleeping bag with Michi and Izzy, three patterns of smooth, even breathing rippling the thick fabric at different rates.

Kagome walked up to them, somewhat sadly releasing Inuyasha's hand, and stared at the sleeping bag situation. She paused, then turned her head to view it from a different angle. Then again. Then again.

"Oi, just get in." Inuyasha softly murmured.

"But...well...I can't find a way to squeeze in without disturbing them!" the girl whispered back.

"So?"

"_So_ I don't want to wake them!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Silly girl! Though, granted, he wouldn't want to deal with trying to put them back to sleep. So, after a moment of hesitation, he gingerly opened his arms a bit.

"Well, if you're so worried about that, why don't you just sleep with me? My haori is just as warm as any dumb night sack." The hanyou didn't really think about how "wrong" that might have sounded until _after_ the words had come out of his mouth. Luckily, though, Kagome's mind didn't work like Miroku's, and she didn't take it that way. She just smiled and walked up to him.

"Thanks," she murmured, leaning into his chest. It was warm, she noted. He was always warm. _Must have something to do with being part demon_, she mused to herself. _His body heat can stay up more easily than a human's. That would explain why he doesn't mind being barefoot even in the wintertime._

"Erm…we can't exactly sleep _standing_, Kagome," Inuyasha said after a moment's pause, breaking Kagome's thoughts.

"Yeah, I know. We can go ahead and sit down." the teenager replied simply.

The couple gently lowered down to the ground. Inuyasha removed his haori, wrapping it protectively around the girl along with his arms. Kagome sighed contentedly, snuggling into him. The heat was stronger with one layer less to go through, and there was a small, particularly heated streak where his inner shirt parted in a "v" and a bit of his skin was exposed.

It was almost like they really _were_ a married couple, Kagome thought, kids and everything.

But just as that thought had passed, she felt herself slipping off into a sweet, tired slumber.

oOo

Kagome awoke the next morning to the most peculiar feel of a stare burning into her. She cracked her eyes open to see Miroku standing over her, a satisfied grin plastered on his face.

"Aahh, look who's awake," the monk mused casually. "So just what did you two go off to talk about last night? Or was there more than just talking involved?"

Kagome blinked, trying to make the monk's words into something that made sense. When what he was referring to finally clicked, her face almost immediately went crimson. She scrambled away from Inuyasha, stuttering flusteredly.

"WhatNOthatdidn'thappenwedidn'tdoanythinglikethaty oupervert!" she said all at once.

Feeling the disruption of Kagome leaving to abruptly, Inuyasha stirred, sitting up slowly. He surveyed the situation with sleepy eyes: Kagome blushing very, very deeply (almost matching the shade of his haori, which she still wore), and Miroku calmly, if slyly, grinning. It took only a moment for him to put two and two together. He was quick to snap back defensively, his own face tingeing slightly as he made a fist to prove his point.

"_Nothing happened, you perverted monk!_"

Miroku closed his eyes and help up his hands, an almost sad grin still clinging.

"Ok, ok. If you insist. But really, what did you expect us to think, you two cuddling up like that! I mean, what would _you_ think if you saw Sango and I…"

Sango let out a bit of an "urk" sound, blushing just slightly, and then glanced, rather unamused, at Kagome.

"Can I just hit him for you?" she muttered in a nearly monotone voice with just a hint of sarcasm, reaching for her Hiraikotsu.

"Y...y…yes please!" stuttered Kagome.

_Thwack!_

"That monk," grumbled Sango as Miroku temporarily slumped to the floor.

"He really doesn't know when to stop, does he?" Kagome asked, still shaking slightly.

Sango shook her head stiffly. No, he certainly did not.

At about this time, the children began to arouse. Izzy popped up rather quickly, refreshed by the good night's sleep and now abounding with childlike energy. Her stomach rumbled hungrily and she padded over to Kagome.

"Okaa, I'm hungry!" she announced, grabbing Kagome's shirt and staring into her eyes. "Where's breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry, too," Michi agreed, rising a bit more slowly than his sister, but still with shining eyes, excited for the day. Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"You gonna get food?" she asked simply, raising her eyebrows.

"I take it we're out of the ninja food stuff?"

The teenager nodded flatly. He sighed, standing. It HAD been a while since she'd last been back to her world, after all. Now that it was summer, she had said that she didn't need to go to her school for a while, which meant no tests to take, which meant, as far as he was concerned, more time to hunt Naraku and the jewel shards.

"Alright, fine. Kirara, come on,"

The nekomata gladly leapt to her tiny kitten legs and followed, but not before Kagome interrupted again.

"Wait, Inuyasha!"

The hanyou turned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Why don't you take Michi with you, too? I'm sure he'd enjoy it." The young boy jumped to his feet at the words, and excited smile stretching across his face.

"Can I really?" he exclaimed, glancing back and forth between his parents. Inuyasha opened his mouth to refuse, but then closed it again, remembering his promise.

He thought about it for a minute, then finally gave in. "Sure, I guess."

"_All right!_" gasped the almost-six-year-old, rushing up to join his father and glomping the hanyou's arm. "Thanks, Otou!"

Inuyasha felt his face heat slightly in a faint blush, yet he couldn't keep the tiniest smile off his face. Was this what it meant to be a father? To make your child so happy with nothing but a silly hunting trip?

"Well…let's go, then," Inuyasha said, moving out awkwardly into the forest. Michi bounded off after him in excitement, Kirara following closely.

Kagome watched the three go, feeling oddly proud of them all. Well, not really Kirara so much, but you get the picture.

Yes, perhaps this _could_ work out, after all. It really, really could.

.oOo.

Inuyasha sniffed the air, checking for any stray animal scents. Michi, watching closely, tentatively repeated the action, though in actual fact, his nose was nowhere near as sensitive as his father's. Better than your average human, perhaps, but he certainly couldn't track.

Inuyasha watched the boy with mild interest.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" the hanyou asked, a twinge of amusement outlining his tone. Michi shook his head, smiling awkwardly, a pale blush illuminating his young face.

"I was just trying to do what you did, Otou," he admitted. "I've never been on a hunting trip before."

Inuyasha paused at the comment, thinking down the scenario. He put on a somewhat forced grin.

"Well, then, kid," he began, "I guess I'll have to teach you."

"My name's Michi," the young boy reminded, glancing away. "I…I don't really like it when you call me kid," he said, much softer. Inuyasha's small smile fell quickly. That's right; he was supposed to be a father to this child. He was probably accustomed to being called by name by the hanyou.

"Oh. Right," Inuyasha mumbled. "S…sorry. It's just…well…" He shifted awkwardly, trying to find the right words to say.

"I just…well, I mean…I'm just not used to being a dad. I mean, I'm not gonna deny that you're my, uh, kid…" the word was somewhat softer, still awkward, "…but don't forget that you're here because of some sort of time-travel. In this time, Ka—er, your mother and I aren't even married yet." _Or even an official couple, really. _"Let alone have we thought about any kids. But…now…"

He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. He glanced back into Michi's gaze and was relieved to see the boy smile warmly.

"It's ok, Otou," he said. "I understand."

Inuyasha smiled back, finding this grin to be much more genuine than the one he had used before. _He forgives so easily, _the hanyou thought. _Just like Kagome._

A sudden mewl from Kirara interrupted the bonding moment. The two turned to the little demon, who was twitching her tails in the slightest show of impatience. That's right, they were supposed to be hunting!

Michi giggled with a cheerful childlike charm at the kitten.

"I have an idea," the boy announced, turning back to his father. "I'll help you learn to be my dad if you teach me how to hunt!"

Inuyasha's smile widened, a strange, new affection he had never before felt rising within him.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

.oOo.

Izzy sat in Kagome's lap as the older girl spoke casually with Sango. A sturdy little fire had been erected and kindled, burning slowly, warmly, tiny waves of heat and smoke wafting up to join the clouds.

Kagome ran her fingers through the toddler's soft, dark hair. As soft and silky as it was, reminding her much of Inuyasha's (minus the color, of course), she found it was full of tangles.

"Now, when was the last time you brushed your hair, sweetheart?" she asked gently, a slight teasing tone rising up in her voice. Izzy shrugged.

"I haven't had a brush since Michi an' me got lost."

…Good point.

Kagome looked up for her bag, where she knew she had a hairbrush. It was slumped over her sleeping bag not too far off, partially open and rather disorganized.

"Sango, could you pass my bag, please?"

The demon slayer turned, seeing the bag behind her.

"Sure." She reached back, grabbing it easily without having to get up. "Here."

"Thanks."

Kagome dug around inside it for a moment before grasping the familiar handle and pulling the brush out. She began to gently run the bristles through the three-year-old's hair. Izzy giggled, enjoying the feeling of being taken care of. She did this often with her mother, in her time. It felt really good to do it here.

"So, Kagome," began Sango, "Doesn't it feel weird to have these kids all of the sudden?"

"Well, yeah, a bit. I wasn't expecting it at all…but then again, who would?"

Sango laughed lightly at the comment. She did make a good point there.

"True. But still, you seem to have taken to the role so easily," the demon slayer added. Kagome shrugged.

"Well, as weird as it is, once I really think about it, it makes me really happy," she admitted, smiling down at the toddler who sat so contentedly in her lap. "I'm glad that I get to have such an opportunity with Inuyasha one day, in the future," she added, thinking of Kikyo. She didn't mean to sound rude to the priestess, but she couldn't help but feel very satisfied deep down that Inuyasha would wind up choosing _her _and not her dead incarnation.

"I could understand that," agreed Sango wistfully, thinking of Miroku. As flustered as she'd felt in the hot spring when the topic had come up, she had to admit, she rather liked the idea of having kids with Miroku in the future. He had even mentioned, some time ago, the idea of getting married once the whole deal with Naraku had blown over. Of course, she had no clue how long that would take, and the monk's suggestions had not wholly halted his lecherous habits. She had to admit, she was slightly jealous of this confirmation Kagome had received that at least her future had such a sweet little family in store.

Kagome smiled, having a vague idea of what Sango was thinking.

In fact, the girl thought, were Sango to someday have kids, those kids could definitely be great friends with Michi and Izzy. That would be so cute!

"I think you'd make a good mother, Kagome," said Sango suddenly, interrupting the quiet thinking.

"Eh?" said Kagome, glancing up from Izzy's hair. She blinked a few times, blushing, then turned her eyes away, smiling softly. "Th…thank you, Sango. That…that means a lot to me." After a moment, she glanced back at her friend.

"For what it's worth, I think you would too."

Sango didn't respond, she only stared blankly, contemplating the thought. But Kagome knew her friend well enough to know that she appreciated the comment.

Yes, this could work out, one day.

This was definitely going to work out.

.oOo.

**Author's Note**

Well, after reading through it, I wound up completely leaving chapter 5 alone as far as revisions go. Even this chapter was relatively untouched, but I did make a few adjustments.

Hope you're liking it, though! Now over halfway through with the revise!

.oOo.

"Aww, bonding. :3

Hey, guys. Sorry this chapter took a bit longer—I was attacked by a very vicious demon called "MY LIFE". XD

Aka, I've been busy. Then even when I finished it last night, I tried to upload it, but wasn't working properly and wouldn't let me upload the document. :P But ah well, I got it now! 8D

And again, a huge thanks to all my reviewers! You all motivated me, you really do. :3 This is by far my most well-received fanfic by number of reviews, 24 at the moment. To give a perspective, my second most reviewed has only 3. XDX

Thank you again; I love you all! 8D"


	7. Truth About the Time Travelers

"Okaa, Okaa! Look what I caught!"

This was the ecstatic cry of the little almost-six-year-old boy as he came bounding back into the camp, clutching two dead rabbits, limp and lifeless in his small hands.

"Wow, Michi," exclaimed Kagome, impressed. "Did you catch those all by yourself?"

"Uh-huh!" the boy nodded. Then he paused to think. "Well…Otou helped _some_," he admitted playfully, turning to the hanyou who walked in slowly behind him. Inuyasha tried to control his expression, but he couldn't manage to keep a small grin off his face, his golden eyes light with an amusement that Kagome had never before seen.

"He did hunt very well, though," the hanyou said. "He spotted them and sorta stalked all on his own, he just needed a bit of help with the actual…you know, killing." He smiled at his son, so grinned back avidly.

Kagome raised amused eyebrows. Was Inuyasha actually…_proud_ of Michi?

Inuyasha noticed her expression and quickly tried to shake his off, slightly embarrassed.

"Erm…let's just eat and get moving," he mumbled quickly. Kagome suppressed a snicker, though she was inwardly quite impressed…and she had to admit, pleased. Somewhere underneath that hanyou's tough exterior, he, too, was forming a soft spot for the children. How sweet.

"Well, alright, then, if you so insist," she said lightheartedly, getting ready to clean and cook the rabbits.

"Actually, Kagome-sama, if you don't mind, could you take the children out for a short walk or something? I could cook the food," Miroku offered.

Kagome blinked in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because honestly, I don't think they should watch."

"Why not? They watched us cook the fish."

"Yes, but…we didn't exactly have to _clean_ the fish, you know?"

Kagome blinked again, this time in understanding. He made a good point; cleaning the prey could look a little nasty. She recalled how grossed out she had been by it the first couple of times…she'd just gotten so used to it over nearly the past year that she didn't really think too hard about it anymore.

But yes, a little kid—especially a little girl like Izzy—probably wouldn't be too excited.

So she stood and left, waving temporarily to the group. Izzy pranced after her, and Michi reluctantly joined, as well.

"Hey, wait for me!" gasped Shippo, deciding rather last-minute that he wanted to go as well.

Inuyasha watched them leave. He thought briefly about joining them; he had honestly quite enjoyed the time he'd spent with Michi during their hunt. Deep down, he found himself wanting to know more about the two, to spend a little extra time with them.

But he wouldn't let anyone else know that. Heck no.

Before turning to work on the rabbits, Miroku moved up and nudged Inuyasha knowingly.

"Hey, you don't have to hide it. We all know that you're happy to have kids with Kagome," he said slyly with a grin to match. The comment made Inuyasha snap out of his brief fantasies, turning in frustration to his companion.

"Sh…shut up, monk!" he stuttered under his breath, making a loose fist.

"Don't bother him, Miroku, just cook the rabbits!" chastised Sango.

"Ah, but my dear Sango, you know I would act the same were it _our_ children who'd come back—"

Glare.

"Oh, ahm, ok, cooking, cooking," corrected the monk, a timid sweatdrop forming on his forehead.

Inuyasha and Sango just stared irritably.

Some people would just never learn.

oOo

After the meal was eaten and the camp packed, the group was again ready to depart in search of jewel shards and, of course, Naraku.

Kagome glanced slightly worriedly at the children. What would happen if they encountered Naraku while the children were still traveling with them? He wouldn't dare hurt them...would he?

Kagome shook her head to clear it of such a thought. Naraku, show mercy at anyone? Even a child? Pah, of course not. The numbskull would harm _anyone_ in order to mess with someone else.

A shiver ran down the girl's spine as she realized that Michi and Izzy being her and Inuyasha's children might make them a prime target for the villainous hanyou. Oh, how it would amuse the creep to watch them die in front of their new-found parents! What a no-good, lousy, emotion-wrenching, hateful, terrible—

"Oi, are you ok?"

Kagome glanced up to meet Inuyasha's concerned golden gaze. She hadn't noticed that she'd been scowling angrily as the thoughts had flitted through her mind. She promptly blinked them away, storing the worry in the back of her mind for the time being.

"Er…yeah. I'm fine," she lied somewhat smoothly. Inuyasha shrugged.

"Hey! It's Moku!" Michi gasped, interrupting the relaying conversation and running in front of the others. Before he got very far, though, he was halted suddenly with a flash of light and a sudden burst of stinging pain, brief, but agonizing. The almost-six-year-old was thrown back, landing painfully on his rear end.

"Michi!" Kagome gasped, running over to the young boy.

"_Owww!_" the child whined, trying to stand up. "Hey, a _barrier_? What gives?" he complained.

"A…barrier?" Kagome echoed, glancing up at where the child had fallen and focusing her spiritual vision on the area. Sure enough, a powerful barrier flickered into view.

"Yeah," confirmed Michi, somewhat grumpily, "And Moku's on the other side!"

"Erm…Michi, who exactly _is_ this Moku?"

Michi stared at his mother in disbelief, as if to ask if she was serious. Then he remembered that she was from the past, sort of, and probably didn't know, after all.

"Moku's my best friend," he explained. "He's one of Miroku-sama and Sango-sama's kids."

Miroku's expression immediately lit up at the news.

"Well, now!" he gasped, very pleased, a wide grin stretching across his face, casting a long glance at Sango. The demon slayer, however, had a very different reaction, blushing furiously.

"Don't you go getting any ideas, monk!" she snapped. "He's talking about the_ future_, remember? The _future_! Not now!"

"But Sango—"

She reached for her Hiraikotsu. Miroku promptly decided that he could leave the rest of the sentence out.

Besides, something in his head told him that deep down, Sango was as excited about the news as he was.

And, very deep down indeed, she was.

"I don't get it, though!" Michi was saying. "I can see _him_, but I don't think he can see me. And the barrier won't let me pass, anyways."

"Keh," scoffed Inuyasha, drawing his sword. The Tessaiga pulsed twice, the blade turning a brilliant shade of crimson. "I can get rid of any barrier for ya."

Michi's expression brightened considerably.

"Oh yeah, your sword!" he gasped excitedly, wiggling around a bit in joy. He'd never actually seen his father break down a barrier with the Tessaiga before! Heard the stories, yes, but he'd never witnessed it!

Slowly, Inuyasha raised his sword, then he very rapidly brought it down on the barrier. For what seemed like ages, the sword and the barrier remained locked together in a spectacular display of crackling energies and flashing lights, yet all too soon, the hanyou was thrown backwards.

And the barrier was still there.

Michi drew his ears back in disappointment. It…it didn't work!

Inuyasha recovered quickly, standing back up. He had to admit that he wasn't sure which bothered him more: the fact that he couldn't break the barrier or the fact that his son appeared disappointed in his father's skills.

The hanyou sheathed the sword, an unusual expression clouding his gaze.

"We've neared Kaede's village, finally," he announced sullenly. "Let's go back and see if the old woman knows anything about this barrier."

The rest of the group stood still for a moment, confused at the hanyou's distant tone. What could have upset him so? Tessaiga had failed to break barriers before. Was it because Michi had been watching so eagerly?

Inuyasha noticed the stares quickly.

"What? Let's go!" he snapped, turning and walking briskly off.

Hesitantly, but not slowly, the others followed.

oOo

"A barrier, ye say?" mused the old preistess, Kaede, upon hearing the group's predicament. It had taken some time to explain the situation with Michi and Izzy and how Michi had spotted his friend only to "zapped" by the unusual barrier. "How odd; I do not recall ever feeling a barrier out there."

"It well hidden, but very strong," Kagome insisted. Kaede nodded.

"Yes, yes, I believe ye. But still, it's very unusual. Have any of ye been down there lately? Before this afternoon, that is."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then Michi tentatively raised his hand.

"M…me and Izzy came through that place when we got lost," he admitted. "We were out looking for some herbs for Okaa, and we found some weird looking ones, so we picked them and we were trying to find our way back. We walked for a while, but then it started to get dark, and we were getting nervous then we noticed that the herbs weren't even there anymore!" He shrugged wildly for emphasis. "Not long after, we found Otou and Okaa again, but they were acting all weird and stuff. Then they told us we time traveled."

Kaede's eyes slowly widened with realization.

"Oh my," the elderly preistess gasped, "It appears that you two have stumbled upon a time-barrier!"

"A time-barrier?" echoed a curious Sango.

"Like the one in the well?" added Kagome.

"No, no, child, the well is a different matter all together. Time barriers are odd things…they're only effective if you've passed them, and ye can only pass them if ye have a certain kind of herb grown in just the right conditions. At least, that is how the legends go. Boy, can ye explain to me the herbs ye and your sister gathered?"

Michi did, and Kaede nodded.

"Yes, that sounds about right."

"So, then, you know how Michi and Izzy got here?" inquired Kagome.

"Yes, I understand how."

"Then…you can get them back to their proper time, right?" the younger girl was surprised how heavy her heart felt as she uttered those words. Could she really have grown so attached to the children after just hardly two days?

"…Yes," answered Kaede. "That would be best. I'd just need to find the proper herbs."

Kagome nodded. She felt sad at the thought of leaving the children, but she knew it was right. Besides, her future self must be worried sick...

"…Ok," she said softly. "Will you…find them as soon as possible?" No one could miss the twinge of disappointment she had tried to hide from her tone.

Kaede nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Kagome sighed and stood.

"Thank you," she mumbled in her best attempt at politeness, exiting the hut, a downcast air about her.

Inuyasha followed, concerned.

oOo

**Author's Note:**

Just a few more chapters and the revision will be complete! :)

"Don't worry; it's not as close to ending as it sounds. ;D There's still a good few chapters planned…and an epilogue.

Thanks again all reviewers! ^^ "


	8. The Bond of a Family

"Kagome!" Inuyasha gasped softly, following after his future wife. The girl did not stop immediately, but rather kept walking, feeling a deep heaviness in her heart. Inuyasha groaned in exasperation, speeding up slightly.

"_Kagome!_" he said again, using a bit more emphasis. This time the girl did stop, but not because of him. She paused, looking up in front of her. Inuyasha paused, noticing where they were.

The Sacred Tree.

For a moment, neither spoke. They just stood in silence in front of the towering time tree, a special place for them both.

Kagome was the first to speak, opening with a short, forced chuckle.

"Sad, isn't it?" she mused. "That I could get so attached to two little kids in just a day. I mean, really, what was I thinking?" She allowed her expression to fall, expression her honest thoughts. "I mean, I knew they'd have to return to their own time in the end. So why did I…" she felt her eyes begin to water slightly. "Why did I allow myself to get so close to them?"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha murmured (_What, is that the _only_ thing I can say now? _he thought), slowly moving closer to the girl and wrapping her in his arms from behind. He admitted, he wasn't the best at comforting, but he'd have to try now. "It's not your fault," he began, somewhat awkward.

"_What's _not my fault?" choked Kagome. "The children's coming and leaving, or my attachment to them?"

"Both," whispered the hanyou. "You can't help but be attached to them. They're your kids." He felt a strange glow of tenderness as he said this, as though suddenly, he had fully accepted the two for who they were and where they came from. And he was starting to feel that tenderness for their mother, too.

"But they're not my kids _yet_!" the girl argued. "Why should I feel so close if I've just met them hardly two days ago, if that? My kids, maybe, but not until the future! Years from now! There's no way I could have developed a bond with them like a real mother has with her children."

Her own comment made the miko stop and think. Goodness, if she felt so strongly for these two now, after knowing them for a few days, how strong must a true parental bond be? How would she feel after carrying, birthing and raising the children at some point in the future? After being their caretaker for—how old was Michi, six? Six years? That's a very long time compared to two days. Could her heart really hold that much attachment? That much…well…

"Silly," muttered Inuyasha. "That doesn't matter. That's one of the things that makes you _you, _Kagome. Your ability to love others like that."

Love. Was that the right way to define her strange attachment? Love?

"Whether or not the kids are actually born, your bond is strong enough to love them for who they are. That's…that's a sign of a really good mother."

Kagome paused at those softly-spoken words. Was Inuyasha…really acknowledging her as their mother?

"And that's one of the reasons that I…I…" the hanyou's voice dropped a few levels to finish his thought. "…that's one of the reasons that I...love you," he murmured honestly in her ear. "…and…also why I…love...Michi and Izzy."

Kagome blinked in surprise, trying to hold back the strengthening tears that threatened her eyes. Inuyasha…did he just say he loved her? He loved the children?

_Yes, he did. He did…_

Kagome thought back to the night just two days ago when they had first stumbled across the two little kids lost in the woods, when they had first eagerly claimed the hanyou as their father. He'd seemed so awkward, so embarrassed. What had happened to change his mind so?

Or had he perhaps just allowed the idea to sink in…and finally welcomed it?

The girl turned in Inuyasha's arms so that her body faced his, snaking her arms tightly around his waist, holding him close, sobbing softly into his haori.

Inuyasha reached up and stroked her head, a bit awkwardly at first, but increasing comfortably and calmingly.

"I'm gonna miss them too," the hanyou admitted quietly. "You're not the only one who's developed an attachment to them."

Kagome nodded against his chest.

He loved her. He loved them.

And she, too, loved all three.

They were a family, they really were a family, even if it wouldn't be made official for several years yet.

That day would come.

oOo

The group slept in Kaede's hut that night. Kagome had chosen to cuddle up to Inuyasha again, and the hanyou didn't complain, though he did shoot a nasty look at Miroku when the monk grinned their way.

The moon shone high in the late-night sky; a waning crescent, sending muffled beams through the covered shafts and into the room.

As he did so often, Inuyasha again found himself awake through much of the night, though he didn't dare move too much, not wanting to wake Kagome, who slept so peacefully in his arms.

He knew that the girl, though she had lightened considerably after crying out her feelings to him earlier that day, had gone to bed with an unwanted weight in her heart.

The hanyou gripped her tighter, more protectively. The situation hadn't been any better when Kaede had returned just hours ago with the herbs, right before the group had gone to sleep. The old priestess said that in order for the herbs to be effective against the time barrier, they had to be picked on just the verge of afternoon and evening.

In other words, had the children picked them much earlier or later, they may not have gotten through the barrier in the first place.

And it didn't really help that, upon giving the herbs to Kagome in a neat little sack, the elderly priestess had explained that once the children returned to their proper time, she and the others wouldn't remember them like they were real. They would feel more like an unusual dream, if they kept the memories at all. That was the only way to keep the timelines balanced and insure that the future ended up like it had for them.

If you know what's going to happen in your life, she'd said, you may not take that path, or even if you do, it may be because you feel it's inevitable or you're forced to. You had to go at life not knowing what lies ahead.

But still, it would be hard for both of them to let the sweet little children go, even if they were to see them again. Even if the situation were to be supposedly erased—though they couldn't quite say that they entirely wanted it to be.

A sudden rustle of fabric caught Inuyasha's sensitive ear. He slowly opened his golden eyes to gaze at its source. He saw Michi sitting up in bed, a wide-eyed and worried expression clouding the child's face. The six-year-old looking around in a panic, and spotting Inuyasha's awaken gaze, he stumbled over to his parents.

"I…I…I had a…nightmare," the child stuttered quietly in a whisper with just occasional breaks of voice.

"C…can I sleep with you?"

At first Inuyasha made no response. Then he blinked and gave a very small, but inviting smile, scooting over just slightly. Michi understood and crawled in comfortably between his parents, feeling comforted in his grasp.

The motion around her caused Kagome to rouse, blinking open her deep brown eyes slowly. What she saw made her smile, her future son coming in to join them.

"Shouldn't you get Izzy, too?" she murmured quietly, but playfully, not wanting to leave the toddler out. Besides, this could be the last night she would spend with her family for a few years yet. Michi shrugged.

"If…if you wanna," he said.

So she did.

Kagome gently moved over and roused her sleeping daughter, who blinked up at her mother with sleepy questioning in her gaze.

"Come sleep with us," the miko invited warmly. The little girl nodded slowly, pulling herself up on her short toddler legs and moving over towards the group. Kagome held the child with a gentle hand to steady her as the little girl found her place in the bundle of people.

The children fell asleep rather quickly, feeling warmed and comforted in their parents' grasp. Even Inuyasha, strangely enough, found himself drifting off into a gentle slumber.

Now it was Kagome's turn to lie awake and think for a while. Her heartbeat increased and warmed at the feel of her family—_her_ family.

She knew from a variety of sources—school, TV, books, her own mother's stories—that bringing children into the world and then raising them was no easy task. It was painful, she'd heard, at times both physically and emotionally. She was sure that birth in the Sengoku Jidai was even harder, with no modern hospitals or medicines to aid in the task.

But she had to admit—and she was sure that her mother would agree—that the warm bond that she felt with her future husband and children was well worth the pain.

For the first time in a while, the girl found herself really looking forwards to her future while simultaneously clinging to the moment.

Yes, very well worth then pain. And, in her current case, very well worth the wait.

oOo

The entire group was somewhat slow-moving the next morning. Sango had to admit that seeing her best friend cuddled up with her family in the morning was a heartwarming sight, but at the same time, she had to try and block the perverted thoughts that she knew were dancing through Miroku's mind.

Kaede had offered to cook breakfast. Miroku had decided to take a short walk to get some "fresh air" while Sango had gone off with Kirara and Shippo for a brief training session before the group set off again.

Michi and Izzy were entertaining themselves in front of Kaede's hut, joyously engaged in an imaginative game that involved running, chasing, and tackling the other, then taking a few complaining minutes to change the rules, then continuing on again.

Kagome sat on the wooden steps to the door, watching them play with a wistful longing in her eyes. She fingered the herbs absent-mindedly. Of course, the situation wouldn't be very bad for the children. They wouldn't have to miss anyone; they would just go right back to their proper time and find herself and Inuyasha, but older, more mature. Their "true" parents.

They would go back to their normal lives with their family.

Of course, Kagome and the rest of the group would go back to their version or normality, too, the children forgotten, left for future dreams. But still the thought of letting them go made the girl sad. She knew that she'd have to do it at some point, but still. She could hold on to them just a little longer, right? Just until tonight. That's what she and Inuyasha had decided.

Somehow, something told her that it would be harder than she could imagine.

Inuyasha walked slowly outside the hut, sitting down and grasping Kagome's hand with his own.

"Hey," she greeted briefly.

"Hey." the hanyou responded. He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "It's gonna be really hard for you, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is."

Sigh. "For me, too," Inuyasha admitted. "I was…kinda hoping to get to know them better."

"Really?" inquired Kagome curiously, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Yeah," said Inuyasha, scoffing lightly with a smile as though he were trying to laugh off a ridiculous idea. "When I was out hunting with Michi the other day, he and I…we made a promise." The hanyou paused for a moment, unsure if he wanted to share the special bonding moment with Kagome; it had been between just him and his son.

But they were going to forget all this, Kaede had said. He would forget that treasured moment—a small pang of sadness struck as he realized that—and Kagome would forget that he had told her of it.

"He told me that if I taught him how to hunt, he would teach me to be his dad." Inuyasha found that he couldn't hold back a lighthearted smile at the previous day's memory, adverting his eyes slightly at the thought.

"He…really reminds me of you, Kagome," he admitted. The young girl stared, but there was no criticizing in her eyes, only gentle curiosity.

"Really?" she mused lightly.

"Yeah," replied Inuyasha, turning to stare earnestly into her eyes.

The two were quiet for a moment, thinking only of each other.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome began again.

"Yes?"

"Even after all this happens, and we…forget…will you still...love me?"

Inuyasha stared at her like she was crazy. For a second, Kagome's heart pounded in fear. Would he _not_?

But then the hanyou pulled her into a light embrace.

"Silly," he murmured. "I loved you even before this. Why should I stop when it ends?"

Kagome paused, unsure of what to say. But slowly, now confidently, she returned the embrace.

"Me, too," she whispered contentedly. _Me too._

oOo

**Author's Note**

Ahhh! Should have this revise finished by tomorrow! Finally, right?

"Nawww, here's a fluffchapter. 8D I hope everyone's still in-character…I'm getting the feeling that Inuyasha isn't.

But anyhow, just wanted to say that I now officially have a solid ending in mind. One more chapter left, and the epilogue!

(And of course, thank you reviewers! Reading what you say always makes me happy. ^^ Glad you all are enjoying the story, hope you continue to through to its end! :3)"


	9. A Desperate Decision

The bright sun shone high in the center of a vast, cloudless sky, marking the arrival of noonday.

The day was passing way too quickly, Kagome thought with an uneasy apprehension.

She had convinced Inuyasha to come with her and the children on a short walk, enjoying their last few hours together before they had to return the children to their proper place on the timeline.

"Look, Okaa! Butterfwy!" gasped Izzy, pointing excitedly at the delicate insect with gorgeously vibrant blue-and-aqua wings, chasing it playfully without a care in the world.

"Wow," Kagome acknowledged politely, smiling sweetly at her daughter. "But I bet you can't catch it!"

"Bet I can!" the little girl argued happily, accepting the challenge and jumping after the fluttering insect. But, of course, the butterfly flew high in dizzying patterns, much too quick and unpredictable in its path for the clumsy little toddler to capture.

"Ha! I bet I could catch any dumb butterfly, no problem!" boasted Michi, smirking with challenge.

"Yeah? Twy it!" dared Izzy.

"I will!" retorted Michi confidently, leaping after it quickly and with greater precision than his younger sister. It took several attempts—the darn thing was so much trickier than it looked!—but eventually he managed to clasp the creature in his hands.

"See?" the boy bragged proudly, showing off his catch. "Not a problem!"

But Izzy wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

The three-year-old was standing still, frozen to her spot, staring wide-eyed into the bushes in front of her. Her expression was nervous and her breath came in silent pants.

"I…Izzy?" Michi repeated, "I caught it..." His playful expression had fallen into confusion and concern and his voice no longer bore the childlike ring of joy. He followed his sister's gaze and leapt in surprise at what he saw, landing rather uncomfortably on his rear, but a silent, instinctive fear prevented him from standing back up.

That person he saw was very dangerous. He didn't know who it was, but the stranger gave him the creeps, welcomed into his system through an ice-cold chill that dashed down his spine.

Kagome quickly noticed, immediately coming concerned.

"Izzy…? What's wrong, sweetheart? Michi…?"

She froze, suddenly feeling the aura that they must be reacting to. No-it couldn't be! How hadn't she noticed it before?

Inuyasha slowly crinkled his nose as a familiar, but very unwelcome scent filled his nostrils. His eyes widened slowly in alarm.

"That better not be the smell I think it is…" he murmured darkly, resting a cautious hand on Tessaiga's hilt.

"Michi..." Kagome said again, a slight tone of warning laced with traces of worry.

The boy slowly raised a shaking hand and pointed to what he and Izzy had spotted, his ears pulled fully backwards in fear.

Kagome followed the direction of the child's finger and sure enough, there was the enemy, closer than she'd thought.

It was a man, an immensely dark aura radiating off of him, crouched in the shadows, his true face and form hidden by the snow-white pelt of a wily baboon.

Naraku.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, her face distorting slightly in anger and determination.

"You," she mumbled. Inuyasha growly lowly in his throat.

The despicable hanyou laughed, slinking out of the shadows. Michi and Izzy shrank back a bit, overwhelmed by the dark, rank feel that dripped from the villainous man as he chuckled lowly. Michi scrambled back onto his feet, ready to flee if he needed to.

"Ah, Inuyasha," mused Naraku evilly, uncomfortable amounts of amusement in his icy tone, "A little insect told me that you and the girl had a couple of kids. They look quite a bit older than I would have expected; how did you manage to keep them so secret? _Or_...did someone just manage to get through a…time slip?" He grinned knowingly, eyeing the children.

Inuyasha snarled at his opponent, unsheathing his sword and stepping in front Michi and Izzy protectively. He knew!

"That's none of your business, you scum!" snapped the white-haired hanyou irritably.

Naraku laughed a bone-chilling laugh.

"Ha! Well, of course, I suppose it doesn't matter," he stated coldly, "No matter how they arrived here, they'll _leave_ my own way."

Kagome froze, a protective rage welling up inside her.

"You wouldn't dare," she murmured lowly in a tone even darker than she had given the village man who had acted so rude the other day, spitting out the last word. The villain's laughing only intensified.

"And why wouldn't I?" he chuckled, "It would make for just the _perfect_ scenario—that hanyou has already lost his past lover. She died, and he lived, and now he feels just sooooo guilty for it! He can't _ever_ seem to forget what happened to her! But then when he meets the future children of his newer affections, who also happen to be his, his head gets filled with false hope. Hope that he'll move on, hope that he won't be doomed to a lonesome life, or to one in hell. But what will he do when that hope falls to the ground before him, dead, gone, and there's nothing he can do to protect it!"

The vile man paused to chuckle as he watched four expressions morph to anger. So much anger, so much hate…Perfect!

"And the girl who has so desperately loved the hanyou! She wishes that he could forget his first love, but nooo! He always seems goes of to her! And then when this girl meets her children, who also happen to be the hanyou's, a tiny glimmer of her own hope kindles in her soul. Perhaps he dose love her, perhaps she can be his…but that little flame will be squelched as she watches her little bundles of _hope_ fall before her knees in a pool of their blood, her blood, his blood! Ah, so much for love,"

Kagome clenched his fists so tightly that her short nails dug deep into her palms. She clenched her teeth in fury at Naraku's words. The glare that she shot his way, if it could have materialized, would've swiped the baboon of his tainted soul in milliseconds.

Inuyasha's snarling intensified as the villain explained his plot and the crude emotional twisting that accompanied it. He gripped Tessaiga tighter, his knuckles becoming white under the pressure.

"Don't you even think about it, you stinking bucket of crap!" spat the hanyou, swinging the sword furiously. "_Kaze no kizu!_"

A strong, swift pulse of youki flooded out of the fang sword in a powerful flash of yellow light as harsh and angry as its giver's eyes. Naraku smirked, deflecting the attack easily with a strong barrier—a personal specialty of his.

And before Inuyasha could even react, the man sent a jet of dark energy out of the barrier and past the hanyou…

…right towards the children.

Kagome gasped and leapt for them. Inuyasha turned, noticing just a little too late.

"_Kagome!_"

There was a blinding flash of light and the deafening crackles of colliding energies. Kagome fell to the floor, momentarily limp.

"Okaa, no!" gasped Michi.

"Okaa!" whined Izzy, voice laden with fear and horror.

The girl's purification powers had weakened the attack and prevented the blow from being fatal and she quickly sat up, but the gesture was pained; she still retained a horrid wound. She clutched her shoulder where the jet had landed. She glanced up at Inuyasha, giving him a brief nod. The hanyou understood—he was concerned for his future mate, but now was not the time. He had to focus on fighting Naraku and preventing more damage.

While the two hanyou were busy engaging in a furious combat, Naraku with his wily strength and Inuyasha with his unmatchable desire to protect, Kagome turned to the children._The children, Naraku was coming after the children!_

Both of them had fear written all over their gestures, from the frozen stances to the pulled-back ears to the wide eyes brimming with tears. _I have to protect them, but how?_

The miko looked around desperately. With a sudden realization, she recognized where they were. She fingered the herb pouch that Kaede had given her.

Kagome looked her two children straight in the eye. She gazed lovingly into Michi's beautiful indigo depths, into Izzy's perfect brown stare which mirrored her own. She began to feel the sting of her very own tears well up quickly as she bit her lip and put a hand on each of the children's shoulders. She pulled them into a brief embrace.

"I love you two, you know that, ok?" she murmured into their soft-furred ears, voice breaking here and there. "I love you so much."

"…Love you too, Okaa," Michi managed, voice as broken and delicate as his mother's. Izzy could only manage a pained moan of agreement, tears of fear and confusion now freely flowing down the toddler's face, trying to hold back her little sobs.

"I need you two to run now," Kagome instructed quietly. Michi looked at her in alarm.

"But…Okaa…"

"No buts, Michi!" Kagome snapped, an odd desperation in her voice. She gripped her son, staring into his eyes. Then she took a moment and kissed each of her children gently on the forehead, speaking as reassuringly as she could possibly manage.

"Sweetheart, please. You'll be safe."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me! Just go!"

"But…"

"Go, Michi! Please!"

Michi scrunched up his face, holding back his pain. Izzy was sobbing freely now, heart-wrenching moans coming out with every pained exhale. He hesitantly turned, wanting so desperately not to leave his mother (Kagome couldn't say she wanted him to leave either, but she knew that it was the only option), and he slowly grabbed Izzy's hand and away they ran, still crying.

Kagome quickly tore open the sack of herbs, removed a pinch of powder, and tossed it at them the moment they turned their backs, making sure that it touched them both.

That was the last she saw of her children for years to come.

oOo

The next thing Kagome knew, she was lying in bandages on the floor of Kaede's hut, gentle flames flickering in the fire pit closely. She could tell by the murky sunlight that filtered through a dusty old window that it was evening; the day was almost up. Ugh, what had happened?

Inuyasha walked in with more firewood, noticing quickly that Kagome was conscious. Kagome noticed that he wasn't wearing his haori…what happened to it? Glancing down, though, she saw that it was around _her._ How sweet of him!

"Oh, you're awake," he greeted. Kagome blinking up at him, trying to ready his expression.

"Inuyasha…what happened?" she moaned.

"We were out in the forest earlier and that moron Naraku decided to attack, and you got wounded pretty badly. It was just a puppet, though."

"The...forest. Ok. How are Miroku and Sango? Shippo? Kirara?"

Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes with a light 'keh'.

"They're fine. Don't worry so much."

Kagome stared at the hanyou flatly at first, slightly irritated with his brush-it-off tone. What's so wrong with worrying about her friends? She tried to hold her straight face, but she just couldn't. Oh, what did matter, in the end? They were all OK. She began to giggle.

"Oi! What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," dismissed Kagome with a flick of her wrist. Typical Inuyasha!

oOo

Kagome's wound healed up in a couple of days and the group set out on their journey once more. No one remembered a thing about the children, as Kaede had predicted. Life went on as it had before they'd ever met the crossers of that unusual time-barrier. Even the barrier itself was forgotten, lost within the effects of those unusual herbs.

But from that day forward, any member of the group could tell you that Inuyasha and Kagome, somehow, seemed just a little bit closer, just a little bit more in tune with each other.

Their day would come.

**END**

**Author's Note**

****Main part of the story's done-and-revised! Now just the epilogue...

"Don't let that big bold three-letter word there scare you…there's still an epilogue coming. ;)

Big thank you to all who have kept up with the story thus far and those who continue to read! You all are awesome, you've motivated me to write a 9-chapter fic with about 6 MS Word pages per chapter in a considerable amount of time—that's pretty impressive! ^^

Thank you again; I love you all! :3

-Nattikat8"


	10. Epilouge

**TEN YEARS LATER**

"Okaa! Come lookit this!"

This was the joyous shout from a young six-year-old boy, excited and playful. Kagome heard the call and looked up, smiling, before sliding open the door to her hut to watch whatever her son was doing. She held her three-year-old daughter perched on one hip, who, uninterested in her brother's antics, simply messed with a lock of Kagome's long, raven-black hair.

"Let's see it, Michi," Kagome said, nodding to her son.

The boy stood excited in the soft grass in front of their hut, which sat contentedly just on the outskirts of Kaede's village. He tightly gripped a wooden toy sword in his hands, clumsily assuming a fight's stance, giddy with excitement. Inuyasha stood just across from him in a similar stance, though with much stronger, more experienced form. In his clawed hands he gripped the Tessaiga, though for this "game" he had managed to untransform it for safety's sake.

"Ready, Otou?" grinned Michi.

"Go!" confirmed Inuyasha, smiling teasingly. Michi rushed forwards, striking his father with his little toy sword in as many ways and directions as he possibly could. Inuyasha blocked and dodged these moves with ease, but he played the part of getting hit, pretending that Michi was beating him badly. In the end, the two ended up in a tangled head on the floor, laughing lightheartedly in pure bliss.

"Wow," mused Kagome, smiling. "That was pretty impressive, Michi!" The boy stood, grinning toothily at his mother.

As soon as the weight of his son had left his chest, Inuyasha, too, stood, shaking some of the grass out of his kimono.

"He's really getting better, isn't he? Perhaps one day he'll even be able to beat me! Well…maybe." The hanyou said proudly with a twinkle in his eye, ruffling his son's short, dark hair. Michi beamed at his father, flattening his ears to make space for Inuyasha's hand. When it was removed, he perked them back up again, glancing at Kagome and Izzy.

"He sure is!" Kagome agreed lightheartly, grinning at Michi.

Izzy, who hadn't really cared to watch the swordfight, suddenly tugged a bit on Kagome's hair, trying to catch her attention.

"Okaa, can we have breakfast now? I'm hungry!" she whined softly. Kagome winked at her daughter, earning herself a pleased smile from the three-year-old.

"Of course," the preistess said, turning back to enter the hut. "Come on, boys," she called, louder. "The food's almost done!" Michi bounded inside excitedly at those words, leaving his sword in the grass, wet with the morning dew. Inuyasha, sheathing Tessaiga, picked it up gently before following.

Sitting around the fire pit in the central room of the hut, Kagome could only smile as she watched Inuyasha entertain the kids. He would laugh and tell stories to Michi and Izzy, and occasionally he would turn to make their third child, Kikyo, a golden-eyed girl who looked otherwise human (and who had just recently celebrated her first birthday) giggle and smile. The hanyou's personality had softened out quite a bit over the past several years, after being married and helping to raise three kids. Well, with his friends and family, that is; out in the forest facing demons or anywhere else dealing with strangers and enemies, he was just as much the gruff, arrogant, tough-talking hanyou he'd always been. It was interesting, seeing the softer side of Inuyasha. Kagome liked it.

In fact, just a week or two ago, the oddest thing had happened which gave Kagome a look and yet another rarer side of her husband, and a bit of a look at her own emotions, as well. She had asked Michi to go collect a few herbs for her that grew just at the very edge of the forest, Izzy naturally tagging along. Since the edge of the forest wasn't very far from the hut, she didn't accompany them. But when the two weren't back by sundown, she was getting very worried.

The night deepened and the children still didn't return. Kagome had felt very sick to her stomach by that point, where were they?

Midnight came and went. No Michi, no Izzy. The hanyou and the priestess desperately began to search near the house, calling the children's names, but to no avail. The sun soon cracked in the sky, rising higher and higher. No luck.

Devastated, Kagome clung to Inuyasha. Perhaps, the hanyou suggested, they had made their way to Sango and Miroku's house. It was worth a check. They stopped back by their own home on the way, awaking baby Kikyo, who had slept through her parents' nighttime search. As worried as they were about their older children, they couldn't just leave the baby alone while they searched. They left the child with Kaede and Rin, explaining what had happened. The elderly priestess and the young teenager were happy to look after her.

Sango and Miroku, of course, were quite alarmed when their two close friends showed up at their house with wild desperation in their faces and tire in their widened, yet sagging eyes, but they immediately earned Sango's sympathy when the situation was explained. Her family hadn't seen them, but they would certainly help look. Moku, the third of their four, looked especially hard, as Michi was one of his closest friends. Little did he know that there, on the other side of a mysterious time barrier, his dear friend could see him looking, but just couldn't reach him.

Throughout almost all the day they searched, but the two were just no where to be seen. Not even Inuyasha's sensitive nose could pick them up.

Night began to fall again, and, weary from the search, Sango and Miroku had to leave. They felt very sorry, of course, but they had to tend to their own family.

Inuyasha and Kagome had continued the search for a few hours yet. Inuyasha eventually suggested that they take a break and try to sleep before trying again in the morning, as he could very well see that Kagome was near fainting from stress and just plain tire.

At first, the priestess had blatantly refused, her motherly instincts focused solely on locating her beloved children. But then, Inuyasha's other side began to come out. That strong, comforting side that was usually hidden within him.

He held her as she practically cried out her soul. He lovingly stroked her hair and slowly twisted from side to side, moving her with him in almost a rocking moment, similar to how he often comforted the children. He was silent until she began to calm down and then spoke soft words of comfort.

He was as sad as she was. Kagome could tell. How could he be so strong in such a matter?

But no matter how, he was, and Kagome was eternally thankful for it.

Of course, the next day yielded no more success, and after searching for hours more, the couple had taken Kikyo back home and just moped around the house in near silence, neither feeling like speaking. That night, too, was difficult, as was the following morning. Morning trailed into afternoon with still no sign of the children, and Kagome was beginning to loose hope. Would she really never see her children again? She had three just the other day. Did she now only have one? She held her remaining child closely as she rocked her to sleep. Inuyasha and Kagome's sullen attitudes had been rubbing off on their daughter and she had whined and cried for the last hour and a half or so, cutting deeply into her normal naptime. But how could Kagome comfort her youngest when she herself was so distraught?

And so of course, that afternoon when she heard two desperate squeals, she could hardly believe her ears.

Michi and Izzy had coming running back to the hut, a bit messy and frazzled, with terrified and, in Izzy's case, tearstained faces.

The embrace in which mother and children met could not be described in words.

No one was really sure what had happened to Michi and Izzy during those days. Even the little children themselves were unsure, only able to report fuzzy fragments of feelings and dreams.

Not that it mattered anymore, of course. They were reunited once more, a family.

Of course, Kagome had vowed to herself never to let them go collecting herbs on their own again. Ever.

The meal was quickly devoured and the children were eager to again run outside and play. Inuyasha and Kagome watched them run joyfully around the soft, dewy grass, wetting their small feet as they had forgotten to put on shoes in their excitement. Even Kikyo, who had just mastered walking, toddled after her older siblings, occasionally attempting to run faster after them, but stumbling not long after.

Kagome leaned into her husband lovingly. The hanyou responded by putting an arm around her smugly, holding her close. The girl leaned over and planted a kiss sweetly on his cheek.

"Now, what was that for?" mused Inuyasha, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing," dismissed Kagome lightly. "I just love you, you know?"

Inuyasha smirked.

"Love you, too."

Kagome smiled, feeling very comfortable cuddled up to her husband, watching her children run and play. This was their time.

Yet she couldn't seem to shake just the strangest feeling of déjà vu.

oOo

**Author's Note**

Yay! :)

"And _now _it's over. ;)

Well, that was certainly a fun run, guys. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 8D

And here I'd like to take a last chance to give a big THANK YOU to all my reviewers! I've always felt like one who never really got much feedback on her work on really any website, including here…my second-most reviewed fic only had three…quite a difference to the 36 that this one has collected thus far. Thank you so much!

I'd also like to give a big thank you to Chronos-girl and LaMiri, who have reviewed just about every chapter as the fanfic has progessed! Thank you so much, guys. Reading your comments is always exciting and really motivates me to continue. Love you! :3

Anyways, I'm glad you all have enjoyed it. :) You all are awesome and I can't thank you enough for all the reviews. It's been great.

Until the next story,

Nattikat8."


	11. Author's Announcement

**June 20, 2013**

****At last, I've finished revising this fic! I _should_ have been finished a long time ago, but school and art and drumline happened and I just never got around to it.

But yay! I'm done now! So I hope you all can enjoy the story. All the plotpoints are the same, I just re-worded a few passages, tried to make the kids' behavior correlate to their ages better, and tried to make the canon folks more IC.

Also, for those of you who are interested, I have some drawings/fanart of Michi, Izzy, and Kikyo (who was mentioned in the epilogue...no, not the canon Kikyo, just named after her), as well as their little brothers (not yet born in the frame of this particular story), Yukio and Kiostu which can be seen on my deviantART page (usernamed "NattiKay"). Yes, five kids. Yes, that's a lot, I know. XD I've also got a Tumblr page for them (URL "inukagkids") if anyone likes them enough to want to follow them. XD

Thank you for reading!

-NattiKay


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